Friendly Ties
by Rian Sage
Summary: Jedi Knight Revan comes to terms with her place in a galaxy in turmoil. The effects of her decisions weigh heavily on those she has become close to. In the midst, dear friends get a wakeup call. PreMandalorian War to Jedi Civil War. Prequel to WotF.
1. There Is No Ignorance

Disclaimer: The GFFA belongs to Lucas. The characters belong to Bioware and Obsidian.

A/N: Warning: One bad word in this chapter. To avoid any confusion, the character depicted here is an OC and not the Exile.

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* * *

Chapter One **

**Coruscant – Approximately Ten Years Prior to the Attack on the Star Forge**

It was unpacking day for Jedi Knight Revan, who was more than thrilled to escape her Padawan accommodations. The Order had single-occupant apartments for their Knights and Masters in the Jedi Temple. It wasn't any bigger than the Padawan quarters, but it was all hers.

She had completed her trials almost a year earlier, but she and Malak had been off planet on missions and she hadn't had time to completely move in. The return to Coruscant was bittersweet. She was excited to be moving on in her Jedi duties with her newly appointed responsibilities with the Senate. However, Malak had been accepted into the Guardian Master training program on Dantooine. It would be the first time they were to be separated on such a permanent basis, and both knew they would miss each other deeply.

Many members of the Order thought they should have been separated long before now. However, together they were too powerful to ignore and their value as a team was too great. The Council was rather surprised to see the duo request the assignments that would separate them. But Revan and Malak both knew the respective paths they must take in order to become better Jedi.

Malak had chosen the path of the Jedi Guardian. Therefore, most of his training was concentrated on combat. He found it easier to concentrate on the quiet plains of Dantooine compared to the busy life of the city planet. The Jedi Temple had extensive training facilities, but many were fabricated to simulate the natural environment already offered on Dantooine.

Though Revan enjoyed the combat teachings, her strength in the Force was better used as a Jedi Consular. Her training required her to be closer to Coruscant. There she would have access to the larger archives and a greater number of Masters. She and Malak were each other's biggest supporters in their quest for individual growth.

Malak would leave for Dantooine in the morning. Therefore they planned a big night out in Coruscant. Revan was unpacking a container when Malak arrived. As soon as he saw her he rolled his eyes, "Of course you're not ready yet."

"Hey, back off. I've got a lot of stuff here," she said.

"Yes, and you'll have the next year to unpack it. Now let's go," he said.

She picked up a small container full of datapads and handed it to him. "Here, make yourself useful."

He looked down at the contents with distaste. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with these?"

She pointed to a shelving unit. "Put them in chronological order on the second shelf while I get ready." She walked into the sleeping chamber to change her clothes.

He stared at the box, not wanting to even think about the mundane crap that must be on each of the pads. He went to the shelf and arranged them all neatly without worrying about the dates, _Like she keeps anything in order. _By the time she figured it out, he'd be too far away for her to yell at him. Although he was sure she would try anyway.

He walked over and leaned against the entrance to her bedroom. Storage containers were everywhere, the bed was still messed up from the first time she'd ever slept in it, and clothes were thrown all over the place. He shook his head and asked, "So did they tell you who you're assigned with?"

She came out of the fresher, pulling a shirt over her head. "Yeah, but I don't think I know him."

"Who is it?" he asked.

"I don't remember. I think it's lying out on the table," she waved a hand and welcomed him to look for it.

He took one last look at the hopeless mess of a room and turned to walk back to the common area. There were datapads spread all over the dining table. He searched through several before finding the details of her assignment. He tabbed through a few screens until he saw what he was looking for.

Point of Contact: Jedi Jek-Tal Roon

Malak froze. He read it again to make sure he saw it right the first time. His expression turned into a deep frown. Jek-Tal Roon had been his rival ever since Malak first made Padawan.

Revan came out of the room. "Ok, let's go."

He looked up from the datapad. "Jek, Revan? _Jek_?" He emphasized the name hoping she would have some recognition.

She gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

He shook the datapad in front of her. "You've been assigned with Jek-Tal Roon."

"So…" She paused a moment before she realized the connection. "Ohhhh, Jek. I never knew his full name. You always just say, 'Jek…I hate that guy!'"

He tossed the datapad back onto the table and shook his head. "I can't believe they stuck you with him."

She seemed to think about it a moment. "That does suck. You always say what an ass he is."

He nodded while another thought occurred to her. "Hey, didn't he beat you once?" Malak and Jek had been in the same dueling class. Master Sypian had set up various matches to be held throughout the year. There was no chance that Malak was going to pass up his opportunity against Jek. Malak truly believed the older Padawan didn't have a chance against him, regardless of Malak's ailment.

He huffed, "I had the flu!"

She smirked. He growled, "Don't give me that look."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, are you ready? I don't know why you're so upset. _I'm_ the one that has to work with him. So don't screw up our last night by brooding over it."

He sighed, "Fine, let's go."

* * *

The Senate had designated office space for the Jedi to use while working on assignments, such as assisting with many aspects of senatorial duties. The Republic was constantly trying to add new worlds. Some worlds were a little more difficult than others, and the Jedi were a great help in negotiations. They also helped individual senators with peace treaties and trade agreements on their home worlds. 

Jek-Tal Roon stood at the window in the Jedi office wing, waiting for his new partner. She was late, which didn't help to ease his mind. He had received the news two days before and wasn't the least bit thrilled about it. He recalled talking to his long-time friend, Tocchu. His friend had offered little help.

"_Revan? Ah man, that's just your luck." Tocchu laughed, "Can you picture Malak's face when he finds out?"_

"_Well, I just hope she's not as arrogant as he is," Jek said while he tied his light brown hair back into its usual style._

"_Ha…I heard she's worse!" Tocchu wasn't helping._

"_I thought you knew her?" Jek asked._

"_Yeah, when we were kids. I haven't spoken to Revan in years…ever since she became Padawan."_

_Tocchu looked at his chrono. "Hey, I have to go." He smacked Jek on the shoulder. "I feel for you…really, I do."_

Jek's blue eyes were drawn from the cityscape view when the door slid open. He turned to see a person walk in with a full cloak on, eyes covered by the hood. The figure lifted an arm, and with a wave of the hand, lowered the light setting. The hood pushed back to reveal the one he had been waiting for. Her black hair fell limply around her face and she had darkened circles below her eyes. _Great, she's hung over_.

Jek was reeling. He'd had misgivings about the appointment with Senator Krishon of Thyferra. Prior meetings had not gone well. Now, he was about to face, in his opinion, the biggest jerk on the Senate with _her_ at his side. _Wonderful_.

He walked over to her and offered her his hand to shake. "You must be Revan. I'm Jek-Tal Roon."

She smiled and accepted his hand. "It's nice to meet you." She looked around for something and finally asked, "Is there any caf around here?"

* * *

Jek hadn't paid much attention to his colleague on the way to their meeting. He handed her a datapad and walked ahead of her as he gave a brief explanation of the situation. 

They waited twenty minutes for the Senator to be ready for them. Revan took advantage of the time to visit the fresher. _She's probably getting sick,_ Jek thought He became anxious for her return, thinking the Senator would call for them at any moment.

She still hadn't returned when the aid announced the Senator would see them now. Not wanting to keep the Senator waiting, though the sentiment was obviously not returned, he went in without her. Jek immediately went to the man and shook his hand. "Senator Krishon, it's very good to see you today."

The other man was straight to the point, "So what brings you here today, Master Je-," he paused as he looked behind Jek. "Revan, is that you?" he asked with surprise.

Revan stepped forward and Jek did a double take when he saw she had her hair pulled back in a much more stylish manner. The rings under her eyes had disappeared and she seemed very much awake. She held out her hand to the elder man. "Senator Krishon, how good to see you again."

Krishon had a pleased expression as he gently held the woman's hand. "I had heard you would be joining us. The Senate is very lucky to have you here."

She smiled, "Thank you, Senator. Tell me, how is Lady Krishon doing?"

His smile grew, "Fully recovered, thanks to you." He gently led her to a seat in front of his desk. "So tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?"

"Unfortunately it's only business. I must say that Jek, here, would be the much better one to explain."

Jek was dumbstruck - who was the woman before him and what had she done with the one he met earlier? He quickly recovered and began to explain the requests from the Vratix.

Thyferra's native species had begun to develop a unique healing substance. They were in hopes that it would some day be an acceptable alternative to kolto. The first step in accomplishing this was for the other sectors of planetary government to agree upon a research plan. Jek was sure the Senator would send him back with another unsatisfactory option, but that was the way of politics.

After Jek recited the proposal, the Senator leaned back into his chair and formed a point with his fingers on his chin. He looked over at Revan. "I suppose you think I should accept this?"

She looked at Jek, who was also curious to hear her answer. She looked back at the senator and said with a firm voice, "I think you owe it to them. And I'm surprised to see this is still an issue. You know first-hand the value of their resources. Your wife…"

Jek couldn't believe the Senator almost looked ashamed at Revan's statement. Moreover, he couldn't believe she had been so bold with the Senator. The older man nodded slowly as he contemplated all that had been said. He finally stood and addressed Jek. "Tell the Vratix we will grant them the land they require and the necessary funds to prepare it for cultivation."

Jek wasn't sure he heard the man correctly and stared at him in disbelief. He had figured on making this same visit with yet more proposals several times more before they came to an agreement.

Revan stood and offered her hand to the Senator. "Give Lady Krishon my best."

He stood and smiled while shaking her hand. "She'll be glad to know you asked about her."

He turned to Jek. "I trust you'll oversee the preparation of the documents?"

Jek said, "Yes, Senator. I'll see to it that everything is in order."

* * *

As they walked down the corridor away from the Senator's office, Jek said, "Well, that went a lot better than expected." 

She scoffed, "I'm sure…he can be a _real_ bastard."

He smiled, "So do you think you can do that in all of our negotiations?"

She smirked, "Yeah, well, how about giving me a challenge next time?"

He sighed. _Ah yes, the arrogance_. He could definitely see how she and Malak had remained such good friends. _They probably get a real kick out of each other_.

* * *

After their day, Jek had hesitantly offered for them to grab a drink in order to get a chance to know her better. They would be working with each other quite a bit and he at least wanted to try to get along with her. 

She declined, "Oh no, I'm not walking around feeling like that for two days straight. I'm going to sleep."

Truly curious, he asked, "Why didn't you use the Force to ease your hangover?"

She stated, "Sometimes suffering the consequences of your actions makes you feel more…real."

"As opposed to…?" he asked.

She looked at him thoughtfully, "A Jedi." She turned and walked away, "See you tomorrow."

He stood looking after her, glad to finally realize what it was about her that gave all the Masters headaches.

* * *

After a few months of working together, Jek and Revan were about to go on their first off-planet mission. The night before they left, Jek went out with some friends. 

"How's it going with Revan?" Tocchu asked.

Jek shrugged, "Okay, I guess."

"Is she as bad as you thought she would be?"

Jek took a sip of his drink and then said, "Oh yes."

The other Jedi laughed, "What's so bad about her?"

Jek shook his head. "She has got to be the most irritating person I've ever had to work with. She's cocky, stubborn, always late, always argumentative." He paused for another drink. "And she asks more questions than anyone I've ever met. And did I mention impatient?"

Tocchu listened to his friend's tirade over his colleague. When Jek finished with a deep breath, Tocchu said, "Man, she's really gotten under your skin. How does she do with the assignments?"

Jek sighed with a frown. He looked away as if not wanting to admit it. "Great. Excellent." He shook his head again, "I've never accomplished so much with politicians in such a short time frame."

His friend questioned, "Good enough for you to overlook her bad points?"

Jek scoffed, "Yeah. To top it all off, we're going on this mission to Garqi…which happens to be not far from Dantooine."

Tocchu nodded slowly, "Let me guess, she wants to stop and visit Malak."

Jek didn't respond. He had lamented that she wanted to go there. He knew it would be a great chance to brush up on some of the skills he had learned from his training there. However, during the time he had worked with her, he had been thankful enough not to be around her when Malak came to Coruscant. He was also thankful Dantooine was a week's journey – it meant that those visits didn't happen very often.

* * *

The mission to Garqi went much better than anticipated. The scenery alone was very peaceful, just like Dantooine. Jek felt he and Revan got along much better on the mission than they would have on Coruscant. Without having archives, classes, nightlife, and all the other things that seemed to distract her, she wasn't quite as bad. He'd even found he enjoyed her company on some occasions. 

They had been granted a shuttle-class vessel to make the trip and Jek used the opportunity to improve his piloting skills. Revan, to his surprise, seemed content to remain co-pilot. They were forced to spend much more time together on the vessel for the long journey. He was slowly getting to know her better, and she didn't seem as bad as he had made her out to be.

After leaving Garqi, they meditated together in the cargo hold. At one point, he felt as if her attention was turned to him. He opened one eye to see her looking intently at him. "What?" he asked.

"I want to know something," she said.

He smirked, "You always do."

She rolled her eyes. She gave it more thought and then said, "What's the deal with you and Malak?"

He groaned as he stretched out his legs. "I'm sure he's already told you his version. What difference does it make?"

"When in negotiations, do we ever only listen to one side?" she said as a statement more than a question.

"We've just never gotten along…ever since the day we met. We're…very different. In fact, the only thing we have in common is we're both Jedi. Surely you've figured that out by now?"

She chuckled, knowing he was right. She then asked, "So did it all start when you beat him?"

He grunted and then stood up as if disgusted. "No…it started before that. He was the youngest Padawan."

"So you teased him?"

Jek nodded regretfully, "It didn't last long though. He may have been young, but he was tough. Nobody was beating _him_ up." He sighed as he thought back, "Sometimes I wish we never had that duel. All it did was make things worse."

"You certainly drew a lot of attention from it," she mused.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "It was all completely ridiculous. He shouldn't even have been in class that day. He was so sick I didn't want to fight him because I didn't want to catch anything." Jek started to pace before he said, "He just has this damn…" he glanced over at who he was talking to and decided he'd said enough.

Revan had heard what she was looking for anyway. She knew Malak better than anyone. Many young Padawans developed rivalries within the Order. Malak and Jek's obvious difference in overall disposition made it completely natural for them not to get along. She was just confirming to herself that Malak was indeed the continued provoker in their long-standing feud.

* * *

A day later, they received the landing codes from the Academy and set down in their designated area. It was mid-day and both had hoped to catch a training session before the end of the day. They didn't waste much time and left their vessel quickly to find their respective classes. 

Jek didn't see much of Revan for the first day and a half. Between weapons practice, sparring, meditation, and classes, they were both quite busy.

The first night, Revan and Malak had dinner in his quarters. She was tired from the trip and hadn't felt like doing much else. The second night, the pair made their way to the nearest cantina. Jek assumed they must have had a great time, because they didn't return until most everyone else had retired for the night.

Jek had stayed up late that night to do some research. He was leaving the archives when he walked past the Knight's quarters. His attention was drawn to a giggling sound coming from the corridor. He knew he'd regret looking, but he did anyway. Malak had lifted her and was carrying her into his quarters, eliciting many moans along the way. All Jek could see of her was her black hair draped over the other man's arm. Jek felt his gut wrench at the sight. It wasn't unusual for a Jedi to engage in sexual situations. In fact, Jek had done so on more than one occasion. But the thought of the two of them together made him forget about how well they'd gotten along on the mission prior to their arrival at the Academy.

Jek continued to walk towards the upper level. He knew the training room would be unoccupied, so he went there to access the computer.

The room was dimly lit and the computer was at the far left corner. When he was about to log in, he heard a noise emerge from the Council chambers. Curious, he walked over to the doorway to check it out. The circular room appeared empty at first. However, upon another sweep, the light caught motion at the opposite end of the room. He stepped in for a closer look and was completely surprised to find Revan sitting in one of the High Council members seats. _I thought she was…_ He then remembered he never had seen the face of the woman in Malak's arms.

He decided it would definitely be something to give more thought to later, but for now… He walked towards her and when he was close enough asked, "Picturing yourself in that chair some day?"

She laughed, "No. It was the only spot I could find that didn't make my head spin." She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "I've got to stop having drinking competitions with Malak." She lifted her head and threw out her arms. "I mean…the guy's like…five times my size."

He had to laugh at that. He was unsure as to why he was so relieved to see her here as opposed to… He shook the thought out of his head before he asked, "So what about this?" he held his arms out to take in the room. "Do you some day see yourself sitting on the Council?"

She gave him a thoughtful, if not glossed over, look. "Who knows…but I think you do."

He gave her a half smile. She was right. He did hope to one day be on the Council.

She pushed herself up from her seat and swayed slightly. He stepped forward to catch her if necessary. She steadied herself. "Can I help you to your quarters?" He offered her his arm, certain she would need it for the journey. She accepted.

* * *

The next two days were very busy. Jek and Revan would leave soon and both wanted to get in as much training as possible while they were there. 

However, the day before their departure, word started to spread throughout the Academy that someone had challenged Malak to a sparring match. Apparently in their drunken states two nights before, Revan had insisted she could beat her long-time friend. Both had remembered the next day and had continued to taunt one another until Malak finally decided he would put her in her place.

Therefore, at the end of the day's sessions, a no-weapon, no-Force sparring match was set up in the training room with Master Zhar as the overseer. All the seats that lined the walls of the training room were filled by many of the Academy attendees…and Jek. He, for his part, wouldn't have missed the match for anything.

The two contenders stood opposite each other on the rectangular mat. Master Zhar announced the beginning of the fight, but neither moved at first. They stared intently at one another, each sizing up their opponent. Revan smiled, turned, and began to walk along the edge of the mat towards Malak. Malak smiled as well and walked in the opposite direction. They circled each other for quite some time…whether they were communicating or not, nobody knew.

Finally, she spoke, "I've been practicing."

He smirked, "Really?"

Their eyes never left the others. She said, "I'm going to win."

He laughed, "I don't think so."

They stopped. Both stood in a ready position for a moment and then lunged at each other. At first their movements were basic thrusts accompanied by ducks. Both were doing a very good job at dodging the other's blows. The routine went on for several minutes until Malak kicked out and landed his foot in Revan's gut, sending her backwards.

Regaining her breath, a feral smile graced her lips. At that moment, the air around the room sizzled. All in attendance could feel the shift in the mood as each challenger let the other know they weren't playing anymore.

The pair attacked again in a whirlwind of movement. The strikes were no longer those used in sparring…instead, they were much more intense. Jek sat on the edge of his seat. He found himself saying, _Come on Revan_. The movements were fast, each barely dodging match-ending blows. Malak risked a high kick that if landed, would have knocked Revan unconscious. Instead, she used his momentum to knock him off balance. She flipped behind him and kicked him in the back to send him the rest of the way to the ground. She quickly regained her footing and pounced onto his back. He threw an arm back to rip her off. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it around with herself so she faced his feet. She lodged her foot behind his knee and used her other foot to bend his leg back far enough for her to reach it. She then held one leg and one arm together and pulled with every bit she had, painfully stretching his joints to their limits. Malak yelled out, "FUCK, REVAN!" She glanced over at Master Zhar who called the match in her favor before she released her hold.

The entire room was eerily quiet. Jek sat in shock as it set in that she had actually won. _She did it. She beat him._ Quiet murmurs began to circulate among the crowd and Jek started his own inner celebration. He screamed in his head, _She frigging beat him!_

Revan stood and looked upon Malak's prone form. She could tell he was seething with anger. She reached down a hand to help and sent to him, _/ Unless you want to make a total ass of yourself, I suggest you save your flip-out until later and accept my hand graciously /_.

He was barely able to reign in his frustration, but he did so enough to accept her hand. He remained silent as they walked over to where they had left their towels. Master Zhar approached them and said, "There was no loser in this match today. You both fought admirably."

Malak walked off to the side with his back to everyone still in the room. Master Zhar studied Revan closely a moment before he walked away. Revan watched Malak while she dried off. She wasn't sure how he would handle the loss. But one thing she would make certain of was their friendship would stay intact. The room wasn't quite empty yet, so she sent silently, _/ I'll meet you at the bluff. /_

He didn't respond for a few moments before he replied/ _I can't._ /

_/ Why/_

He turned and looked at her. She could tell he warred with his emotions. His natural instinct told him to be angry…and he was. But, while other opponents might shy away from his wrath, _she_ wasn't going to put up with it. She sent, _/ I'll be at the bluff/_ before she turned to leave.

* * *

The bluff was a rock formation the pair had gone to ever since they first came to Dantooine with their Masters. It wasn't exactly a secret place, but nobody else seemed to go there. 

Revan sat upon her usual rock and looked out upon the landscape. She had thought of the consequences to her and Malak's friendship before challenging him. But they'd survived many relationship jarring incidents before.

There was the time he swore to his master that he wouldn't go to the Daughters of the Republic social. He had gone anyway and she stayed in his room to cover for him. His Master was sure to check that Malak had done as he'd said he would. Revan didn't even want to go to the stupid dance, so she never thought they'd check _her_ room too. _She_ got accused of going to the party _and_ they found her small collection of ancient Jedi holocrons she'd snuck out of the archives. There was no point in implicating Malak at the time…she was going to be punished regardless.

The resulting punishment ended up with her cleaning the fracking fountain instead of going to the Lower City Swoop Opener. She had been looking forward to racing in it ever since she came in second the year before. So there she was, cleaning that Force-forsaken piece of rock while _he_ went to the race. _Bastard_.

He'd had to do a lot more than bring her cookies to make up for that one. She laughed out loud as she remembered how he had to call her 'The Exalted One' for a week.

She knew he would come to the bluff. Their friendship was too important to both of them for him not to. He did, of course, take his time though.

When he arrived, he went to his rock and sat down. They sat together in silence for several minutes. He looked out at the grasslands when he spoke, "You say you've been training. Were you training with the intent to beat me?"

"Yes," she admitted.

He snorted, shaking his head slowly. "You know…everyone points at me as being the guy that hates to lose." He looked at her for the first time. "But you…you refuse to accept defeat."

She said nothing.

He asked, "Was there a point you were trying to make here?"

She contemplated her answer. She and Malak were very strong compared to others in the Order. She didn't feel it served any purpose to face those she undoubtedly would defeat. He seemed the logical opponent. "Am I supposed to ignore the challenge ahead of me because it's you?" She paused a moment before shaking her head in answer. "I don't expect you to ignore _me_ as the challenge ahead either."

He rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands over his face. He sighed deeply before asking, "So what now? Will you be a saber master next? You plan on taking me down in that too?"

She smiled, "Maybe I'll warn you next time."

He huffed, but with a hidden smile. He was quiet a little longer. He had recognized the hint of Echani techniques in her sparring. He suspected that she'd sought the teachings of Master Kae's companion. The Jedi Master had been expelled from the Order when her affair with the Echani warrior was revealed. Malak knew Revan could never admit to being in contact with either of the lovers. Nevertheless, if he was right, Yusanis had taught Revan well. He said, "You were really good. I'm very proud of you."

That was all she needed. "Thanks Mal."

They talked a while about what their plans were. He had avoided asking her about Jek since she arrived. He took the opportunity to do so now. "So…how are things working out with the Senate?"

She shrugged. "It's okay. We've done alright."

"How are you getting along with Jek?" he asked.

Revan thought about it before answering. Though he and Jek hadn't spoken since their arrival on Dantooine, she still sensed Malak's tension. Beating him in a match in front of Jek didn't help matters. She'd thought about that briefly beforehand, but considered it a necessary, yet unfortunate outcome. However, the appearance of Jek had somehow created a slight fissure in her and Malak's friendship…she expected the day's activities would no doubt create another.

Regardless, there wasn't much she had to say about Jek. She had actually begun to like Jek and enjoyed his company, though she knew she couldn't tell Malak that. Instead, she smiled. "He's not pulling my hair or pushing me down steps or anything…so I suppose we're getting along fine."

He laughed, "Well if he ever tries, I trust you'll be able to handle him."

She was glad Malak was pleased with her answer. However, she was also excited about her new roll within the Senate and wanted to share it with him. She added, "We're going to start pushing for tougher assignments." She started to explain one in particular they were trying for. It was for a junior senator attempting to negotiate trade between his planet and the Republic. The problem was another planet in his sector wasn't as willing to let that happen.

Malak didn't listen for long before he gave her a bored look. "Please spare me the details."

Her lips formed a tight line. "Would it hurt you to learn a little about what's going on in the galaxy?"

He said, "No, but I have to consider maintaining my sanity while you babble on about Outer Rim politics."

She quickly punched him in the arm. He rubbed at what would soon be a bruise and said, "Hey, haven't you done enough for today?"

She laughed, "You know what they say…the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

He said, "Oh yeah? Well I wonder how hard you'd fall if I pushed you off this rock right now?"

Her eyes lit up as she challenged, "I bet I hit the ground before you do."

With that, they both jumped out of their seats and leapt off the fifty-foot bluff, using the Force to slow their descent. They landed at the same time and he unexpectedly took off into a full run for the enclave. She yelled, "Hey, no fair!" He just laughed as she ran after him.

They both raced to the enclave courtyard, but with his much longer legs, he won.

Once he caught his breath, he said, "I suppose you're going to start cross-training so you can beat me at that too."

She scoffed, "No, if you keep bulking up those muscles like you are, you'll slow down enough on your own!"

He looked at her in awe. "Finally somebody noticed!"

She laughed, "Take off your shirt, let me see."

He pulled his wet shirt over his head to show off his muscular build. She whistled in approval. He laughed as he threw his sweaty shirt into her face and walked away.

* * *

Jek was waiting when Revan and Malak showed up in the morning. He boarded the ship, while the other two exchanged goodbyes. Once they received their departure codes, they were on their way back to Coruscant. 

Not long after they entered hyperspace, Jek found her sitting on the floor of the cargo bay amidst various lightsaber parts, including new crystals she had apparently found. During their time on Dantooine, he had gained a whole new understanding and respect for Revan…and her friendship with Malak. Jek was glad to realize she and Malak were separate, despite their close connection. Truth be known, he _wanted_ to like Revan. But there had always been a wedge of misconception between them…on both parts. He decided it was time to change that.

They spent the rest of the day on the floor of the cargo hold adjusting their lightsabers. They even took a few moments to spar as they started a brand new friendship.

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to the two that beta'd this for me: Lossefalme and Alexandra. Thanks for taking the time to give me your feedback. 


	2. There Is No Emotion

Disclaimer: The people and places (except for my OC's) belong to either Lucas, Bioware, Obsidian,or West End Games.

A/N: Again, Jek is NOT the Exile. Thanks to my wonderful beta's Alexandra & Lossefalme. They're input was priceless. Quick notes will be on homepage.

* * *

Fear spread quickly when the Mandalorians attacked Onderon. The brutal strike came as a shock to many as the planet's largest city fell in less than half a day. There had been rumors of a growing Mandalorian force, but many had ignored them until now. The planets previously attacked were in the unknown regions of space, and therefore beyond the Republic's notice. 

However, when one of the Republic's own planets fell, it was clear the threat was real. The Senate voted to enter into war during an emergency session called within hours of Onderon's fall. Plans were immediately set forth to stop the Mandalorians before their presence spread further. The Mandalorian stronghold was revealed to be just within reach of Onderon, on its own moon, Dxun. How they had gone undetected was unknown.

In the face of war, military resources had quickly come into high demand. Trade agreements were strengthened with planets such as Manaan, while new ones were sought out with planets like Lianna.

Lianna was quickly becoming an industrialized planet. It was also home to one of the premier shipyards in the galaxy. It's location along the Perlemian Trade Route was a key factor in the planet's industrial success. The Senate had little influence on the planet's activities. Most everything was controlled by the Allied Tion Sector as a whole – anything left was controlled by corporations.

However, the Allied Tion could do little to interfere with what Lianna could provide to the Republic. Trae Storm was a junior Senator who came from an affluent family with many holdings on Lianna. It was his initial request to develop regular trade for his planet. Therefore the Senate was confident an agreement could be made to provide new ships for the Fleet.

Though the issue was of the utmost importance to some, many Senators thought the venture was unnecessary. Those proud politicians had no doubt the Mandalorians would be stopped before the vessels were needed. The Republic Navy assembled a fleet of ships and soldiers and planned their initial assault on Dxun.

With permission from the Council, Revan was re-assigned to Fleet Headquarters. There, she would be able to work closely with the Fleet to better determine their needs – while Jek assisted Trae with his new duties.

Senator Storm soon realized the efficiency of the two Jedi and started to work more closely with them. Revan was able to help acquire the ship specifications for the Senator to take back to his planet for review. It wasn't long before Sienar Systems was selected as the manufacturer of the new ships.

Revan and Jek both felt Sienar's involvement happened too quickly, but there was little they could do about it. Once the trade agreement became such a high priority, their job was as nothing more than facilitators.

* * *

Upon their return from Dantooine, Revan and Jek had begun to spar together on a regular basis. It was the first time they'd spent with one another outside of their duties with the Senate. Revan was usually the winner in any practice match they had. Jek was a good swordsman, but Revan felt he always held back against her…something she found highly annoying. After their practice duels, they would often sit together and talk about the Senate, the Jedi, the Republic, and anything else that came to mind. 

Neither could believe how much had changed since their trip to Dantooine. Before, they were always together as a sense of duty. Now, both truly looked forward to their time together.

The Council looked upon their friendship with approval. Some even felt Jek would be a good influence on her. She had a tendency to be defiant, and Malak had often times encouraged her. The Council had hoped by placing them together, Revan would teach Jek to be more confident and he would teach her to be more patient.

Trae Storm was a year older than Revan and a year younger than Jek. With their close proximity in age, and the time they spent with him, it wasn't long before the two Jedi and the Senator became good friends. Quite often, the threesome would enjoy their free time together.

Trae was new to Coruscant and the two Jedi were happy to be his guides. The Senator was definitely used to the finer things in life. He wore silk Senatorial robes during the day and clothes of the latest styles at night. He was slightly shorter than Jek…and quite handsome with blond hair and brown eyes. He was very friendly and the two Jedi also found him to be amusingly arrogant.

Trae preferred the more upscale cantinas of Coruscant's upper city. It took some time for Revan and Jek to convince him of the fun to be had in the rougher, lower city cantinas. Leery of his safety at first, he soon found traveling with two Jedi had its advantages.

Jek and Trae watched with amusement as Revan somehow always managed to convince the occupants of the best booths they'd rather sit elsewhere. It took a while for Trae to get used to being in the company of a woman such as Revan. He had been raised to believe that men were the protectors and he'd had little exposure to Jedi. So the night Trae had attempted to come to her rescue had given Revan and Jek quite a bit to talk about the next day after their sparring session.

Jek didn't approve of how Revan had handled the Corellian who had attempted a hands-on approach of introduction with Revan the night before. While they packed their things in their bags, he said, "You didn't have to hurt the guy quite that bad."

She was immediately defensive and faced him with her hands on her hips. "He grabbed my ass!"

"It's not the first time that's happened," he said pointedly.

She shrugged and returned to packing. "Hey, if Trae wouldn't have gotten involved, I might have handled it differently." The Senator had immediately confronted the larger man and demanded an apology.

She started to laugh. "Did you see how far that Corellian threw him?"

Jek laughed as well. "Of course. I'm the one who caught him."

"Remind me never to have _him_ watch my back," she advised.

Jek nodded in agreement. "I'm sure after seeing you slam that man's head on the table, Trae will be sure to let you handle any further entanglements."

"Let's hope so…for his sake."

They finished putting their things away and took a seat on the mat. They always faced each other with their legs crossed. That way, anyone wanting to use the room would think they were meditating and would therefore find another room. There were plenty of other quiet places in the Temple, but why go find another when they were already in one?

Once seated, Jek gave her a pointed look. "By the way, I don't think Trae appreciated you calling him a 'pretty-boy.'"

She smirked. "You know it's true." She paused before saying, "I can't believe he tried to accuse _you_ of being one."

He smiled. "You don't agree?"

He watched her examine his appearance. He usually wore the standard brown Jedi robes, though he only wore tan pants and a white shirt while sparring. His thick, wavy hair was mostly one length. If down, it would fall just above his collar. He almost always tied the front back to keep it out of his eyes.

She finally answered, "No…you're all Jedi."

He chuckled. With a wry smile, he said, "Coming from you, I'm not sure that's a compliment."

She laughed lightly.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. Revan recalled something else. "Oh, and you can expect some sort of pay-back for the whole dancing thing."

Jek teased, "I think he rather enjoyed it."

Jek had seen Revan dance on more than one occasion with various outings to the usual Jedi hang-outs. She always seemed to like it. And despite her protests, she seemed to have enjoyed dancing with Trae as well. The Senator looked as if he had taken dance lessons since he was able to walk. Jek, on the other hand, had been content to sit back and watch.

* * *

The Republic anxiously awaited the upcoming conflict at Dxun. When the time had come, the battle lasted several days. The sheer brutality of the Mandalorians was something the Republic forces clearly weren't prepared for. There were casualties on both sides, but the result was a defeat for the Republic and the loss of thousands of its soldiers. What the Republic thought would be a quick end was only the beginning. After the horrors they saw unleashed on the jungle moon, the Republic soldiers were dreading the day they would have to return there. 

Revan had spent many late nights at Fleet Headquarters during the days leading up to the conflict. Jek hadn't seen her during that time, but they spoke on the comm each night so she could keep up to date on the Lianna agreement. After the battle at Dxun, they had resumed their practice sessions, but also continued their nightly calls.

Most times that Jek went out at night, he did so with Revan and/or Trae. But one evening, his friend Tocchu was on-planet and Jek had arranged to go out with him instead.

Tocchu was always asking about Revan. Jek found it interesting that many Jedi were curious about her. He recalled many occasions when they would walk through the Temple only to be stopped by other Jedi with questions for her. Her knowledge of Jedi history was quite impressive. He had guessed she gained most of it from Master Kreia. However, the Jedi Master wasn't the most approachable of women and Revan was often times much more pleasant to talk to. Not to mention, when Revan answered a question, it was easier to understand than when asking the guardian of the archives.

After a night of heavy drinking, he woke to the incessant beeping of his comm. It actually only alerted him twice, but it seemed to magnify in his head. He soon realized whoever it was had given up and he was relieved for the silence. He laid there for a moment before he decided to get up. He slowly made his way from his sleeping chamber into the common area. He walked by the comm and saw it had been Revan.

After retrieving a cup of caf from the dispenser, he settled into the seat at his comm station and commed her back. He took a sip of his caf while he waited for her image to appear. When it did, he nearly choked on his beverage at the sight of Revan…in her pajamas. She had not sat down before she answered. Therefore, Jek received full view of her attire.

He didn't say anything at first and watched her as she set down her own cup of caf and settled into her seat. Her pajamas weren't anything too revealing – just a simple pair of short shorts and a tank top. But _he_ liked them.

He had just started thinking that maybe he should call her in the mornings more often when he realized she was speaking to him.

"Did I wake you?"

He looked at her face for the first time and said blankly, "No."

She gave him a doubtful look. Then her eyes moved from side to side to look behind him. She leaned closer to the comm and spoke quietly. "I'm sorry…do you have company?"

It took a moment for him to understand her question. _Company? I just woke up_. Then it dawned on him, _Oh, company. _He stumbled "Uh…no…no." He gave her a faint smile.

They went on to talk about what they had done the night before. He had told about the visit with his friend. She told him about her trip to the archives.

"Archives? You mean Master Dorak let you back in there?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but with limited access. I swear that man is only going to give me one datafile at a time just to torture me. I can't wait until Master Kreia gets back."

"Maybe if you took on a Padawan –"

She interrupted, "I'm not taking on a Padawan. Besides, I don't see you jumping to get one."

He laughed. Both knew there was plenty of time for that and neither wanted the aggravation. After all, they were still quite young and enjoying life as Knights. Once they took a Padawan, they would have constant companionship…a little too much for ones glad to be free of their own Masters.

As they continued to talk, Revan couldn't help but admire what she had never seen before – Jek had his hair down. She had often times found herself wondering what it would look like down. She'd thought he was handsome before, but like this… They would definitely have to speak more often in the mornings.

* * *

Jek had noticed a shift in Trae's attention towards Revan sometime around the Annual Senatorial Ball. Jek wasn't sure what made him notice…a stolen look, the occasional innuendo. It may have been the time he saw her blush when she was dancing to a slower song with Trae. 

Revan was quite a bit different than other female Jedi. In fact, she was quite a bit different from the male ones as well. Revan was one that broke the rules on a regular basis. But the one rule Jek felt she remained true to was that of no emotional attachments. From what he understood, she had learned that lesson a long time ago when her first Master was expelled from the Order for bearing a child…an obvious attachment.

So when the Senator asked Jek to explain the Jedi Code to him, Jek felt it was important to stress that particular rule. Trae had asked many questions. But in the end, Jek felt sure the Senator understood the limitations.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, the Senator understood the rules too well. The important part to him was that Jedi were not required to remain celibate. And just as the mere thought of Revan and Malak together in such ways on Dantooine had made Jek's stomach turn…so did the thought of Revan and Trae.

* * *

As the war continued along the Outer Rim, more and more Jedi became curious about what it would mean for them. So far, the Council had agreed the Republic would be able to handle the situation and saw no benefit in getting involved. Revan had been spending an increased amount of time with the Fleet and had expressed her deepest concerns with her oldest friend. 

Therefore, Malak had started to travel to Coruscant on a regular basis. On one such visit, they were sitting on the floor next to the table in front of her couch and had had some food delivered. Revan's dining table was usually covered with datapads and several other odd items, so they had to use the smaller table for their dinner.

Her quarters were sparsely decorated. She had little in material possessions save for a few artifacts she had picked up from various places. The only thing she really had on display was her extensive crystal collection. There were also a few swords standing in the corner. Malak had decided he was going to use this visit to find a better spot for the weapons. He hated seeing them neglected in the corner where they could become warped. He usually found himself doing something to make her quarters more presentable when he visited.

After finishing his food, he leaned back against the couch. He had been wondering about the Senator she had been talking about. Malak and Revan were firm believers in the rule of no attachments. Where he felt he walked a fine line every once in a while, she did not. However, since he was around her so little these days, he thought it best to make sure.

He started, "Tell me about this Senator."

She smiled slightly as she thought of the other man. "Trae's not so bad."

Malak shifted his position so he was facing her. "Is he still pursuing you?"

"He is, but not the same as he was before," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I guess one night he and Jek sat down and had a long talk about the Code. Ever since, his direction has changed a bit."

For the first time in his life, Malak found himself somewhat thankful for Jek. He waited for her to explain.

"He understands there's not a chance for any kind of relationship…emotional, that is," she clarified.

Malak laughed. "So now he's just trying to get into your robes?"

She laughed with him. "Pretty much."

"Any success?" His eyes danced in amusement.

"No."

"Why?" he asked.

She straightened her legs and stretched her back. "You know why, Mal. I'm a Jedi. He's a Senator. There's no chance for discretion. Frankly, I don't think it's worth it."

"What's not worth it?"

She scoffed, "The sex. To have us show up on the latest holo gossip shows…" She shuddered just thinking about it.

Malak shook his head. "I'm sure he would be discreet."

She nodded knowingly. "Yeah, that's what they all say."

He was pleased she was still on track. They both supported each other to be the best Jedi they could be. Though he had several indiscretions of his own, he felt she was above that. By being that way, she helped him to maintain his objectiveness. He couldn't deny that there was a strong emotional tie between the two of them. But he always trusted they would both know to do the right thing if it really came down to it.

He also knew that deep down he wouldn't be able to walk away from his affairs so easily if it weren't for her. She had provided for him what he needed in order not to pursue the next step in any relationship. Nobody else could give him what a lifetime of unwavering friendship had.

* * *

The war with the Mandalorians continued with frequent battles along the Outer Rim. The negotiations with the Allied Tion sector had sped up and they were close to finalizing the agreement that would clear the order for their first ship. The manufacturer was prepared to begin construction of the first vessel immediately. 

Revan and Jek were to meet with Trae to go over a few matters. However, upon leaving the Temple, they were unable to procure one of the Jedi speeders. They both agreed they would have to take the public transportation instead. But when they arrived at the departure zone, they realized they hadn't thought of how crowded it would be.

Revan said, "Let's just wait until the next one."

Jek disagreed, "If we wait for another, we'll be late."

"So?"

He frowned in disapproval. "Yes, of course, that doesn't seem to ever bother you, does it?"

She smiled at him, but finally agreed that they would take the first transport to the Senate offices.

The herd of people crowded onto the transport and most were forced to stand. There were hooks on the ceiling that Jek could hold onto. However, Revan was too short to reach them. They stood facing each other and tried to take up as little room as possible.

The vessel was probably over-loaded, for when it started up, it lurched forward and sent Revan falling towards the man behind her. Jek was quick to grab her and pulled her to him. She wrapped an arm around his waist for better support.

Every stop along the way caused a shifting in their bodies which were already too close. Jek became very aware of certain parts of him becoming more affected than they should be by the close contact. He closed his eyes and tried to will his body to behave. The last thing he wanted was for something to wake up with her that close to him. It was okay in his dreams…not in real life.

The vessel lurched again. Revan looked up at him and said, "One of the stabilizers must be acting up."

He tried not to look at her and barely acknowledged what she was saying.

She gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head quickly. "Nothing."

Another lurch…which meant more movement. He pleaded, "Can you try not to move, please?"

He sensed her confusion. He knew it was a strange request - how could she not move on the malfunctioning transport? Regardless, she did try to shift her position so she would have better stability. The only way she could was to hold on tighter to him…or the guy next to her. From the smell of the other guy, Jek understood her choice.

Whereas thinking about the smelly guy next to her was helping his situation, her movement was not. He said hoarsely, "Please stop."

He sensed her perform a slight probe of him through the Force. He prayed she would not discover the problem. He was relieved when he felt her Force sense slowly retreat.

The next time the vessel moved, he couldn't contain his gasp when the friction increased. Jek tried with everything he had, but he couldn't stop nature. He was completely mortified that his body betrayed him in such a manner…especially with his present company.

Just as he was trying to remember the first part of the Code he knew so well, he sensed her amusement. He risked a glance down at her. He sincerely hoped she had seen something funny elsewhere…anywhere.

The vessel shifted again and that's when he caught it. He couldn't believe the mischievous look he saw as she purposely brushed her hip against his groin. He was in shock. She was having fun with this. If he wasn't blushing before, he was now.

He tried to withstand a couple more movements. He knew his only options were to either let her continue or to call her out on it to make her stop. They were about to go into a meeting, so his best bet was to make her stop. He didn't know how it had ever come to this. He chastised himself for letting her get to him like that. But at the same time, the thrill of her doing what she was doing was hard to ignore.

He bent his head down and brushed his lips along her ear when he said, "You're playing a dangerous game."

Her smile grew as he felt her shudder. She lifted her chin to say coyly, "Oh, I'm sorry…I thought that was your lightsaber."

He hung his head next to hers to hide his embarrassment from the rest of the travelers. He could do nothing but laugh.

She laughed with him.

They finally reached their destination and Jek was sure to walk behind her. Once inside the office building, he told her he needed to recollect himself before going in to meet Trae. The last thing he wanted was to walk into Trae's office, of all people, in his current condition. He needed a little more time for his body to calm down. Next time he would definitely choose to be late.

Revan was completely amused by the entire exchange and went ahead without him. While on the lift, she couldn't help but to think about the faltering of the seemingly infallible Jedi. She had never imagined she could affect him that way. She laughed to herself as she recalled the spike of desire that had shot through her at the realization of his dilemma. She wouldn't be who she was if she didn't push things a little further. She knew she was playing with fire, but the opportunity was hard to resist. She didn't deny that any woman could have had the same effect on him. But she was secretly pleased it had been her.

When the lift arrived at her destination, she proceeded down the long corridor to Trae's office. He greeted her at his door and asked, "Where's Jek?"

She brushed past him and said, "Something unexpected…came _up_." She tried hard to suppress the enormous smile that threatened to emerge. "He'll be here soon."

When Jek did arrive, he didn't look at Revan once. She tried not to look at him. Every once in a while she would drop her shields slightly to let out a small tease for him to detect. She succeeded in making him blush at least two more times.

* * *

Once again, Revan was working with some of the officers at Fleet Headquarters. She had learned a great deal about strategy and troop movements since she had been assigned there. They had recently granted her permission to the Naval archives and she had spent many late nights gaining what knowledge she could. She found it amusing how much easier it was to get information from them than the Jedi. 

However, she wouldn't be able to study the files tonight because of the plans she had made with Jek and Trae. The men had already gone to Trae's favorite upper city night club and were waiting for her there.

When Revan arrived, she found the table Trae sat at…alone.

She felt the Senator's admiring eyes upon her as she slid into the booth. Once situated, she asked, "Where's Jek?"

Trae nodded in the direction of the bar.

Revan turned her head to see Jek sitting next to a rather striking woman. It appeared she had come with friends, but they were in their own conversation at a table next to the bar. The blonde woman definitely had Jek's full attention.

Revan diverted her gaze to the serving droid that arrived at her table. She and Trae placed their orders. She glanced at Trae and noticed the sly smile on his face. She could only guess what she was in for. The Senator had become quite relentless in his pursuit of her…something she was not the least bit used to. Jedi weren't nearly as forward…well…except for Malak. During the day, Trae was relatively professional, but nights like these, he rarely held back.

She glanced back over at Jek and his companion and wondered if he would join them tonight. She was completely caught off guard when she saw the absolutely gorgeous smile upon his already handsome face. _That smile…why have I never noticed it before? Have I ever _seen_ it before?_ She found herself slightly disturbed that she hadn't.

The droid returned with their drinks and she turned her attention back to the Senator. He still held the sly smile and all she could do was smile back. She always found times alone with Trae to be quite amusing.

Unfortunately for Trae, his efforts of gauging Revan's reactions to seeing Jek with the other woman failed. He'd found the Jedi were particularly difficult to read...a trait he'd thought to be extremely annoying. He had wondered if there was anything more to Revan and Jek's friendship. They seemed to spend enough time together and sometimes acted oddly around him. He recalled just recently when Jek came in late to one of their meetings and seemed quite embarrassed every time Revan looked at him. The fact that Jek had made all facets of the Jedi Code so clear to Trae also did not go unnoticed.

Nonetheless, Trae began his usual attempt to woo Revan. The only other times he had opportunities like these were when they danced. He loved to tease her with whispers of promises as they swayed to the slower music. Alas, as soon as they returned to the table, he lost most of her attention to the other Jedi.

He began to tell her details about his homeworld. She and Jek would visit shortly and he had already begun to think of ways to be alone with her.

He was in the process of telling her about his estate on Lianna when she gasped and hurried out of her seat. The Senator looked up in time to see her jump into the arms of a very tall man with a hairless head adorned with tattoos. Judging by the red robes he wore, Trae gathered he was a Jedi.

When the tall man set Revan down she punched him in the gut. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming."

He smiled while he rubbed the soreness in his side. "I'm amazed I was able to do it without you knowing. It was harder the closer I got to you. The bond makes it a lot more difficult."

She nodded knowingly. "Tell me about it."

The man looked down at the table to see the Senator. Revan seemed to remember her companion and introduced them. "Malak, this is Senator Trae Storm. Trae, this is Malak."

Trae stood and held out his hand. Although he was disappointed with the interruption, he was glad to finally meet the infamous friend of Revan's. "It's nice to meet you, Malak. I've heard a lot about you."

Malak accepted his hand. "Likewise, Senator. I hope Revan hasn't been getting you into too much trouble."

Trae smiled. "Not enough, actually."

Malak chuckled and in a knowing tone, said, "Be careful what you wish for."

Revan rolled her eyes. "I'll be back." She ran off towards the bar.

The two men sat down. Trae was thrilled. He had worried about Revan's relationship with Malak as well. Now that he had actually seen the man and how horribly incompatible they were, he felt much better.

Malak looked around the cantina. "Doesn't Jek usually come out with the two of you?"

Trae smirked. "Jek found another companion for the evening." He nodded in the direction of the other Jedi.

Malak turned to see where Jek was seated with the well-endowed woman. Malak's expression grew into a sly smile. "Good for him."

Revan returned with four shots and set them in front of Malak. "Let me in."

Malak looked at the shots. "I'm not drinking those."

She insisted, "Yes you are. You have to catch up."

He looked at her in disbelief. "With _four_ shots, Revan?"

She pushed on his arm so she could sit. "Let me in."

He frowned as he looked at the shots. He reached over and picked her up by the waist to set her down in the booth between himself and Trae.

Revan grinned wickedly as she nudged Trae. "He's a big guy, so it takes a lot."

Trae watched in amazement as Malak threw back each shot one right after the other. After he did, the Jedi rested his elbow on the table and closed his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Trae almost felt sorry for him. Revan had only had one drink so far. Trae found it humorous she was able to get Malak to drink four.

The three sat and talked about the war, among other things, for a short while. Revan seemed to be in good spirits and Malak was very nice. However, Trae quickly realized he was definitely the odd man out when it came to this pair.

Trae was surprised when Revan suggested they all dance. He hadn't guessed Malak would be much of a dancer. It turned out he wasn't all that bad.

Malak really didn't mind dancing with Revan and her new friend, Trae. He knew of the other man's intentions for her and couldn't help but to be protective of her. After careful study, he had determined the Senator had no hopes for any sort of commitment from her. However, Malak wasn't even sure the Senator was worthy of what he desired from her.

Revan seemed to be having a good time. Though she tried to hide it, he knew the skirmishes in the Outer Rim had bothered her more than she admitted. She didn't feel the Republic was accomplishing anything with their efforts – and she grew increasingly frustrated with the Jedi's passive stance.

Malak was glad she had nights such as these to take her mind away from it. She had a tendency to overextend herself. He watched her as she was lost in the fast beat of the music. He reached out to her across their bond to get a better feel for the rhythm that she always understood better than he could. He never dared to dance without her.

Through that bond, he felt a slight tickle that was intended for her. She slowed her movements and glanced around for the source.

Malak slowed with her and they spotted Jek on the edge of the floor with the beautiful blonde he had been sitting with. Malak had recognized her earlier as Lady Tolana. He might not have liked Jek, but Malak could truly appreciate the success in that quest. Jek pointed towards the door, waved goodbye, and escorted the woman through the crowd.

He had just begun to smile about this new regard he had for his long-time rival when he felt the surge of shock and emotion coming from his dear friend. His gaze shot to her motionless form amidst the other dancers as she stared after Jek. Her mind seemed a whirlwind of confused thoughts and slight… He felt immediately assaulted by the force of her shields slamming into place before he had a chance to decipher her feelings.

She seemed to avoid his look that had turned into a glare and continued to dance. He carefully shielded his disapproval, knowing it would be highly unwelcome. Now certainly wasn't the time.

Malak glanced at the Senator briefly. He was always sure that Revan would turn down Trae's advances like she had the others before him. However, Revan had been spending a lot of time with Jek…and after what he had just witnessed…Malak felt she could use a distraction. Maybe Trae was the distraction she needed. Anything was better than…he shivered.

* * *

Jek had every intention of spending the night with Tolana. They had met before and he'd always found the woman attractive. So when he saw her at the cantina, he didn't pass up the opportunity to speak with her. She was very charming and he found he enjoyed her company. 

One thing led to another and he ended up standing outside of her lavish apartment. His standing there was merely a formality. Both had every intention of him going inside. Yet when he bent down to kiss her, he was surprised by the lack of desire he felt. He kissed her a few more times to be sure, but the feeling remained the same - he could feel her desire, but not his. The whole exchange just didn't feel…right.

He was at odds over what to do. He knew then that he couldn't stay. He was rather embarrassed by the situation and was certain Tolana would be quite confused over his actions. He decided it best to play the gentleman act. He held her hand in his and placed a gentle kiss upon it. "Thank you for your company this evening, but I must go."

Tolana blinked. She stood still for a moment. Despite her obvious confusion, she nodded and turned slowly to step inside her apartment.

Jek had decided he was, in fact, proud of himself. Although he had just made a bastard move with a seemingly irresistible woman, he still felt good about it. Maybe he was becoming a better Jedi after all. Of course, he realized he would only accomplish that by staying out of tight places with Revan.

* * *

After leaving Tolana's apartment, Jek had decided to go to the Senate offices to work on the upcoming trade agreement. He had just finished gathering information from the archives and made his way to the lift. 

He was surprised to find Trae already on the lift. The Senator seemed even more surprised. The Jedi smiled inwardly, knowing what Trae had expected…what he himself expected. He invited the Senator to the Jedi offices for some caf.

Jek sat quietly at the table and waited for Trae to say something. The Senator seemed troubled and Jek tried not to think of what could have transpired between Trae and Revan since he had left them.

The Senator finally spoke, "I didn't realize they were that…close."

Jek had caught a glimpse of Malak before leaving the cantina. It didn't make his decision to leave any more difficult. He began to say, "Since childhoo-."

Trae interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, yeah…I heard all about it."

Jek contained his grin. He had tried to discourage Trae's advances, but to no avail. _Maybe Malak had more success_.

Trae went on to say how Malak seemed quite protective of Revan. He felt as if he were being scrutinized for the better part of the evening. Jek laughed when the Senator said he hadn't felt like that since he was a teenager.

Jek thought to himself that it was perhaps the only time he had ever been glad for Malak's arrival.

* * *

Revan woke up on the couch the next morning. Whenever Malak visited, she let him have the bed since he was too tall to sleep on the couch. When they were younger, they used to share a bed all the time. However, that had ended sometime in their late teens. Revan had woken to Malak dry-humping her while he murmured "Eilan" in her ear. She'd been completely grossed out and refused to ever share a bed with him again. Not to mention, she was never able to look at Eilan in the same way after that. 

Malak came into the room and she lifted her legs so he could sit. She set them back down on his lap. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. She could tell he was using the Force to clear away the haze of his hangover.

When he had finished he looked her way. She knew what was coming. Her shields had faltered last night and he had felt her reaction when Jek left with the other woman. Malak didn't let things like that go by very easily. However, she hadn't had time to think about her reactions the night before. She sure wasn't going to discuss anything with Malak until she had it figured out herself.

"So the trade agreement is almost complete?" he asked.

She simply said, "Yes."

The two of them had already talked about his plans for the immediate future. He would finally leave Dantooine. There had been an attempt on the life of a judge on Manaan. The Selkath had attempted an investigation, but had yet to find any suspects. They'd had many leads, but nothing that amounted to anything. In an attempt to strengthen their ties with the Selkath, the Republic had asked the Jedi for assistance in the investigation.

It would be the first long term mission Malak would be on without either Revan or a Master. Instead, he was assigned to a Knight who had just recently completed her trials. He had expressed concern about whether or not she would be able to keep up.

He had requested that Revan accompany him on the mission. However, she informed him the agreement wouldn't be done in time for her to go with him. He asked, "What will you do at the end of the assignment?"

She said, "I'll stay with the Fleet if the Council allows it. Even if they don't, I'll be sure to keep up with what's going on."

He nodded with a smirk that said he knew all too well how persistent she could be. His words were tight when he asked, "Will Jek stay with the Senate?"

"Yes."

Malak's disapproval the night before rang clear. He might have had his shields in place, but she didn't have to feel what he was feeling to know what he was thinking. If he thought he was getting any information from her, he was sadly mistaken.

He appeared to acknowledge her stubborn mood and moved on to a different topic. It wasn't one she really wanted to talk about, but she had to give him something.

"You and the Senator seem to be getting closer," he commented.

She shrugged. "We've gotten to know each other quite a bit over the past months."

"He hasn't given up, I see."

"No, he's quite persistent."

"I don't understand you, Rev. If I were in your place and had some hot Senator after me…and all she wanted to do was frack?" The heavenly look on his face was enough to show her he wouldn't hesitate.

"Don't tell me you've been away from Coruscant for so long that you don't remember what it's like? The Council looks the other way when there are little encounters here and there. But for something to show up on the holonet? I might as well get pregnant while I'm at it. Then they can send me out there with Master Kae."

Malak shook his head. "Do you really think they care that much over who each Senator sleeps with?" His mouth formed a tight line. "That's way too much to keep up with. Besides, you don't think Jek hasn't knocked boots with Senator S'nau?"

She knew he was trying to get a reaction from her, but she wasn't giving him any. He pushed on. "Hell, he was with Lady Tolana last night."

She flashed him a warning look that told him he was pushing his limits. Though it didn't escape her notice that Malak knew the identity of the woman. He stated, "You just don't know what you're missing."

She informed him in a flat tone, "I have had sex before, Malak."

He shook his head and waved his finger in front of her. "That time does not count. That guy didn't even know what he was doing. That little _thing_ he did…that is not normal. Nobody does that."

She smirked. "Oh, so you think the Senator's the one to show me how it's really done?"

He huffed, "Well, I'm not doing it."

She couldn't help but laugh as he stood up to go to the fresher.

She wasn't sure how Malak was always able to stay so objective in his encounters. Revan chose to avoid anything that could remotely lead to an emotional attachment. And although she agreed her first choice hadn't been the best one, she didn't believe that to be the reason for her dissatisfaction.

It wasn't that she didn't find Trae attractive. He was fun to be around. He wasn't asking for a commitment – _that_, she was sure of. Truthfully, she had always been glad to have Jek around to keep her from doing anything stupid.

She thought briefly of Jek. She had suspected he'd had encounters with women before. However, she was certain he hadn't since she'd known him…well…maybe not so certain. Any other morning, she would have commed him by now. She was somewhat thankful to have Malak's presence as an excuse not to call. Frankly, she wouldn't know what to say if she did.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Malak returned to the room. She smiled as she thought that's twice he'd saved her in the past twelve hours.

* * *

Once Malak left Coruscant, Revan and Jek's regular practice routine picked up again. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with his performance during their duels. She knew he could do better, but he kept holding back. 

It was three days into their renewed sparring sessions and Revan continued to challenge Jek as much as he would let her.

She advanced with a series of quick strikes that he deflected, but lost ground doing so. _Don't back up, strike back!_ She shouted to him in her head. He couldn't hear her, but it wasn't anything she hadn't said before.

She pounded at him relentlessly while he continued his defensive parries. _Quicker Jek, you should have seen that more quickly_. She continued, getting more and more irritated. She felt the pressure build in her chest and didn't recognize it as anger.

She wanted him to know how good he could be. She wanted him to know that he could beat her if he really believed he could. He had practiced so hard ever since that fateful day when he defeated Malak. Through their time together she had learned he always felt his win was undeserved. So he chose that skill outside of his normal training to focus on. She wanted desperately to prove to him that he really was an excellent fighter.

Over and over she had tried to bring it out of him and he still held back. _What do I have to do to show you?_ She held his saber at bay with her own while she jumped up and kicked him in the chest, thrusting him away from her.

She paced in front of him with her blade still lit. "I'm going to make you fight me, Jek."

She could see he was trying to catch his breath as he said, "Trust me, you're already succeeding at that."

She continued to pace. "You can do better."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Revan, will you give it up?"

"No."

She attacked again and he barely got his blade up to stop the assault.

She swiped at his legs and he leapt out of the way. She followed quickly. She could tell she was beginning to get to him. She needed to push him to his limits. He had begun to respond. He sent a Force push her way that she deflected with her own abilities. She smiled. "There you go, Jek. Use what you have. Think about it, don't just act. Gain every advantage you can."

He growled and struck back at her to attack. She dodged the assault but continued defensively to wage how much he was willing to put forth. _More of that, Jek. You're almost there._

She knew he wouldn't be satisfied with a win if he felt she had held back. She brought herself back up to the challenge and returned his attack. They continued to slash and parry for several minutes. _Keep it up, Jek._ She dared not say anything out loud. There was no way she was going to distract him when he was this close.

She slashed at his lower right and swiftly came around to his left. He followed her through, but when she quickly readjusted and thrust at his upper right, he faltered.

She stepped back and looked upon him sternly. _You almost had it._ He seemed to shift uncomfortably under her gaze. She decided on another approach.

She deactivated her lightsaber and tossed it onto her bag. She felt a wave of relief coming from him. However, it disintegrated when she called two practice sticks to her hands. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the weapons and she couldn't help the small smirk that appeared on her face.

She held one stick out for him to take. _Maybe a few cracks to the ribs will make you respond._

He clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Oh no. I'm not going to let you beat the hell out of me with a stick, Revan." His voice started to rise.

She continued to hold it out for him.

He took the offered stick from her and threw it aside. It bounced off of the wall and clattered to the ground. Her irritation grew. He asked, "What's wrong with you? And don't tell me I'm not fighting up to my potential again."

"Well you're not," she said matter-of-factly.

He shook his head. "This isn't about that. You've been acting like this for a couple of days now. There's something else. And I want to know what it is."

She refused to respond.

He continued, but a little more softly. "It's not just the duels, Revan. You've hardly spoken to me in a week. At first, I thought it was because of Malak. But he's been gone for three days now."

Suddenly uncomfortable with his questioning, she shifted slightly,

He went on, "We used to talk every day…every morning."

She was surprised to see him so bold with her. She wondered briefly why this spirit couldn't come out when they were dueling. But the point of the matter was that he was right.

She wasn't upset with Jek…she was upset with herself. The reaction she'd had the night Jek left with Lady Tolana caught her completely off guard. She wasn't supposed to feel that way. It was Jek, a Jedi, a man, a human, hell, a sentient being…Force, she wasn't supposed to feel like that.

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm sorry." She shrugged helplessly with nothing else to say.

He just stared at her expectantly. "What's wrong Revan?"

There was no way to explain it. He was a Jedi, so she really couldn't lie to him. But she couldn't tell him the truth either.

"It's…it's something that I need to deal with…on my own." And she would…she would. She felt confident that if she tried hard enough, she would make it go away.

Compassion filled his eyes. He sighed resignedly. "Will you let me know if there's anything I can do to help?"

She thought about it a moment and then smiled faintly. "Probably not."

He looked slightly affronted with that answer. But it certainly wasn't anything _he_ could help her with.

She looked down at the weapon still in her hand. Doubting he would continue to duel, she called the other one to her and walked them back over to the rack. She packed her things and hauled the bag over her shoulder. "I have to go."

And she left.

Jek stood there staring in the direction she had gone. She wasn't normally quite so fierce in their duels. He had been sure she would run him through if he hadn't stopped her. It was the part of Revan he had come to know as the only one that could put Malak in his place…that could put anyone in their place.

Although he wanted to be able to help her, he had realized long ago there were limitations to their friendship. While he had never defined them before, it was clear they existed. He had no right to push her…though he wanted to badly.

He tried to think of different possibilities. _Is it Trae, the Council, the war, Malak? _He paused a moment as a bit of sadness came over him. _Could it be me?_ He couldn't understand his desperation to know what was going on with her. One part of him pushed him to find out while the other held him back in caution. He just needed to figure out which part was the Force and which part was his heart.

* * *

It was two weeks later and the trade agreement for Lianna was almost finished. The finalities were to be completed on the planet itself. Trae had already gone in order to make the necessary preparations. Revan and Jek's involvement, at this point, was merely a formality…although a required one. 

It was the day they were to leave when Jek woke up with a very uneasy feeling in his stomach. When he tried to get up, he was overcome with dizziness and was forced to lie back down.

After a visit from one of the healers, it was determined Jek had come down with hesken fever. The healer insisted Jek stay in bed and had refused to grant him permission to leave the Temple for three standard days.

Once the healer had gone, Jek made his way to the comm in his quarters to break the news to Revan. She would have to go without him since there was no time to delay the signing of the agreement.

When she answered, he noted he wasn't so sick he couldn't admire her choice of pajamas. _Ah, the green ones._ It had come to be a secret pleasure of his. He had found it was something he had missed during the time she wasn't really speaking to him.

Her first words were, "You look like hell."

He grunted, "I feel like it too."

She asked cautiously, "What's wrong?"

He rested his elbow on the table to steady his head. "Some sort of virus."

Jek couldn't read her expression, but she took a moment to say, "And?"

He sighed, "And I can't go."

Her eyes widened in surprising alarm and she immediately ended the call. Jek's mind was a little foggy, which made him even more confused at her reaction. He didn't have too much time to think about it because two minutes later, she was at his door.

He groaned when he heard the door chime and detected her presence on the other side. He used the Force to open the door from where he still sat at his comm station. She wasn't happy, but she had managed to hastily throw on a set of Jedi robes.

He half-heartily said, "Revan, you shouldn't be in here. The healer said it's contagious. The last thing you want is to get this on your way to the Outer Rim."

She ignored his warning. "What do you mean you 'can't go'?"

He slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, you'll have to go without me. It was never required we both be there."

He was confused by the agitation he could detect in her. She was usually good about shielding her feelings, but she seemed too distracted to do so now. He was getting a headache trying to decipher it. He really just wanted her to leave so he could go back to bed.

He looked up at her questioningly. "What's wrong?"

She started to pace, which he had a hard time watching. She stopped in front of him and practically pleaded, "Jek, you have to go. I can't go by myself."

He was so confused he was becoming nauseous. "What are you talking about? You are more than capable of doing this. You don't need me. Since when do you need anybody?"

She started to chew on her lip as she paced again. "It's not about my abilities, Jek."

He gave up and just hoped she would explain it.

She seemed to hesitate. She stopped pacing in front of the dining table and stared at the ground. She quietly said, "It's Trae."

_Trae? What about Tr-…_ In his current state, he hadn't had time to think of what all of this really meant. Trae was finally going to be alone with Revan…without Jek. He felt his nausea increase…and his heart sank.

They were silent for a couple of minutes. All he could think of to say was, "I'm sorry, Revan."

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's okay. Is there anything I can get you?"

He stared at the floor, dejected. "No."

She walked to the door and before leaving said, "I hope you feel better."

His delayed, "Thanks," didn't come out before the door slid shut and she was gone. He couldn't believe he could feel worse than he did ten minutes prior. He had the impression the feeling wouldn't be any better after the virus had passed.

* * *

Revan leaned up against the wall outside of Jek's apartment. She always prided herself on being prepared for anything. This, however, she had not seen coming. 

Trae had flirted with her on a regular basis. Of course she flirted back. Why not? It was fun. She never thought it would amount to anything. And if it did…well, maybe Malak was right. Who knows?

Malak had certainly encouraged her to get to know the Senator better. Then there was Jek…a different story all together.

She had sensed Jek's deep regret that she was going alone. However, this was about her and Trae, not Jek. She and Jek were Jedi – they had boundaries. It was something they probably both needed reminding of…something she'd already reminded herself of on more than one occasion.

She took a deep breath and tried to center herself. She had a feeling she would be doing a lot of meditating on the way to Lianna. When she walked off that ship, it would be as a Jedi…whether Trae liked it or not.

* * *


	3. There Is Knowledge Part I

Disclaimer: The people and places (except for my OC's) belong to either Lucas, Bioware, Obsidian,or West End Games.

* * *

Trae had been quite busy the day of Revan's arrival. Jek had commed him the day before and informed him of the slight change in plans. Although Trae feigned sympathy for Jek's illness, both men knew the Senator wasn't fooling anybody. It also didn't escape Trae's notice that Jek had waited two days before contacting him. It effectively gave the Senator little time to prepare for the change. Obviously the Jedi underestimated Trae's abilities to get things done. He knew he was being paranoid about Jek and Revan, but he couldn't help being watchful of the other man. Although it was never spoken of, Trae felt certain the Jedi was just as watchful of him. He truly did consider Jek one of his closest friends, but you didn't have to be a Jedi to notice the change in the air when Revan was with them.

Trae made slight adjustments to his plans. He had spent the entire day shopping after the call from Jek. He bought more flowers, more wine, and a few items of clothing. He had also been sure to have his estate staff reduced to just a few droids for the week. Some of the planned events had to be adjusted…particularly the dinners. Trae had thought nothing of an evening meal in one of the planet's exclusive restaurants for the three of them. But he quickly thought of the implications of him and Revan showing up to dinner alone and therefore cancelled the reservation.

When Trae arrived at the docking bay, he located a street vendor and purchased a snowflower. The transport was on time and he waited patiently for the travelers to disembark. He wasn't surprised when Revan was one of the last ones off. He immediately noted her brown Jedi robes, something he'd never seen her in. In fact, he was sure she had mentioned how much she disliked them. He had the impression she was trying to tell him something. _So we're in Jedi mode_.

When her eyes finally found him, she smiled. He didn't take his eyes off of her as she approached. However, soon her gaze shifted and she frowned and came to a halt. He looked down at the flower in his hands and panic set in. He looked back at her as her eyes shifted around the very public landing bay. _Okay, the flower was a bad idea._

Thinking quickly, he glanced around for a possible solution to save the situation. He spotted a rather unpleasant-looking elderly woman approaching. He abandoned his worried expression to don his best senatorial smile and thrust the flower into the hand of the old woman. "Pardon me, my lady. Allow me to welcome you to Lianna. It is our wish that you have a pleasant stay."

The woman stopped and looked at him as if he had just released a pungent odor. She eyed the flower with distaste and scowled as she ambled over to the nearest trash receptacle to dispose of it.

Revan, who had witnessed the entire exchange, burst into laughter. Trae could only watch in disbelief as the old hag walked off. He slowly turned his attention back to Revan and noticed her enjoyment at his expense. He softened his expression at the sight of her and couldn't help but laugh with her.

He closed the distance between them and stopped in front of her. His smile remained as he said, "I suppose it would have ended up in the garbage no matter who I gave it to."

She continued to laugh and wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. "Yes, but I liked that way much better."

She had a good point. He chuckled, "I suppose I do as well."

He held out his hand in formal greeting. "Master Jedi, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Lianna."

She accepted his hand and shook it. "Thank you, Your Grace. I have no doubt it will be an interesting stay."

* * *

After collecting Revan's belongings, Trae led her to his speeder. Revan couldn't help but smirk when she saw it. She'd had no doubt he would have the best of everything. The speeder, a sleek design she recognized as a Sienar model, didn't disappoint. 

"Is this the new KZ-55?" she asked as she ran her fingers along the bright blue exterior.

Trae beamed, "Yes."

She circled the vehicle once and then asked, "Can I drive?"

His smile fell. "No way."

She huffed, "Why not?"

He placed her things in the speeder and escorted her to the passenger side. "The last time I let you drive, you disengaged the anti-gravity field and dropped us through six lanes of traffic."

"It was a short-cut," she defended as he walked around to get in the driver seat.

His lips formed a tight line as he slid into his seat. He gave her a sideways glance. "You could have warned me."

Revan had been quite pleased she'd been able to pull off the stunt. She had seen Malak do it on more than one occasion and wanted to try it. When she had, Trae's face had turned sheet white and he couldn't stop shaking for twenty minutes. Jek had been impressed with the maneuver, but had enough sympathy to calm the other man's shattered nerves with the Force. Revan laughed to herself when she recalled Trae's screams of terror.

Trae noticed her amusement. "It wasn't funny."

She laughed more. "Maybe not to you."

They made their way to Trae's estate. It was much like any other dignitary's that Revan had visited…too big for just one person. It featured several sitting areas, a large dining area and kitchen on the main level. The second level held sleeping chambers. She couldn't help but laugh slightly when she noticed how close her appointed room was to Trae's.

"Just out of curiosity, where was Jek supposed to sleep?" she asked.

Trae visibly flinched, something she noticed he was doing more of whenever she mentioned Jek. He led her to another room that was at the opposite end of the dwelling than hers. She briefly thought of teasing the Senator and requesting to stay in Jek's room. But she had plenty of time to torment the man throughout her stay and decided against it.

The next few days were filled with various meetings regarding the trade agreement. At night, the two enjoyed nice evenings in Trae's home. After dinner, they would sit together on the lanai that overlooked the gardens.

Trae had been a gentleman throughout the first couple of days. Revan was rather relieved at how much more at ease he was on his home planet rather than on Coruscant. She supposed it was because he knew they had all week to be alone together. Nevertheless, she enjoyed his company and didn't even mind getting a little cozy with him into the evenings.

The days had been very busy for the pair. Several meetings and communications to Coruscant had transpired. One of those communications had been to Jek. Revan had a question regarding a minor detail in the agreement and knew he would have a quick answer. Trae had said it wasn't that important, but she'd insisted. She had also felt bad for not contacting her fellow Jedi when she'd first arrived to see how he was feeling. Trae had mentioned Jek was better, but Revan knew that wasn't enough to convince her not to comm the other Jedi.

To be honest, she woke up one morning and simply had a desire to speak with Jek. It was unusual for her to have that feeling with anyone other than Malak. It was a kinship she had with no others, including any of her former Masters.

Trae's communications room was on the main level. Therefore, she showered and prepared for the day before making her call. Once situated, she punched in the appropriate code and waited for Jek to answer. It took a few attempts before the very tired Jedi appeared. She winced when she realized it was the middle of the night at the Temple.

It took him a moment to fully waken, but when he did, he seemed immediately concerned. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

She smiled slightly. "Everything's fine. I just had a few questions."

He didn't respond at first and just stared at her. He then glanced at the chrono and said, "Revan, it's three o'clock in the morning."

She looked at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I tapped through the time differential warning. How are you feeling?"

Jek yawned, "Much better. Eilan came by the day after you left and helped me through some new healing techniques she's been working with. She really is quite good."

"I bet she is," Revan said under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing. So do you have a moment to go over a few things, or should I call back later?" she said in a suddenly business-like tone.

He sighed, "Now's fine."

Trae entered the room and handed her a cup of caf. He glanced at the image of Jek and said, "Good morning, Jek."

Jek studied the new image and then replied tightly, "Morning, Trae."

Trae then leaned over to Revan and kissed her gently on the lips. She froze and could sense his ill intent at making a show for Jek. Instead of returning the kiss, she jammed the heel of her boot into Trae's foot. His eyes registered the pain, but he remained silent as he straightened.

She glanced quickly at the image of Jek. Though he held no expression while he watched Trae's intimate gesture, Revan could see that his eyes were trained on her.

She looked back at Trae and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "You can send a droid to let me know when it's time for our tour of Sienar."

Trae blinked. His eyes slowly made their way to the image of the other Jedi. His lips formed a smile that never reached his eyes. With a sardonic laugh, he shook his head and walked out of the room.

Revan continued on as if the display had not occurred. They went on to discuss a few of the agreement details so that she could better understand them. She explained Trae's apparent reluctance to take her to Sienar Systems. For some reason, he didn't realize she would want to see the ships in production. It wasn't the only reason she wanted to visit the corporation; she had been curious about it for a few months and wanted a better look inside, with the Force as her guide.

When the call ended, Revan sat at the comm station for several minutes trying to decipher the anxiety she felt. She realized it had been the middle of the night for Jek, but there was an added tension in their conversation that wasn't there before. She had no doubt Trae had contributed greatly to that.

She found herself somewhat disappointed in the Senator. She had thought he was above such things. Apparently he wasn't.

* * *

The day before Revan was to leave, the two were to attend a state dinner to honor the new agreement with the Republic. They arrived at the reception in a manner Trae wasn't happy with. Revan had insisted upon wearing her formal Jedi robes and the Senator didn't agree with her choice. 

He was already nervous about the event, knowing full well who would be in attendance. The guest he was most uneasy about was his mother. Revan had joked upon her arrival that as long as he didn't take her to meet his parents, she would be fine. Trae had failed to mention that was the last thing he wanted to do.

He had also failed to mention how much his mother hated Jedi. Several years before his parents married, his mother had had an affair with a Jedi. The Jedi had returned to his duties, leaving Trae's mother pregnant. The entire ordeal was besieged in scandal. Trae never knew what happened to the Jedi.

There were nine years between Trae and his brother. As a result, the Senator had never had any form of relationship with the other boy. From what Trae could recall, his brother had been in and out of various schools. Judging from his troublesome behavior as an adult, Trae could only assume he had been equally difficult as a child. Therefore, Trae was not looking forward to the fact that his brother would also be at the night's engagement.

His worries came to pass soon after the dancing had commenced. He had tried to keep Revan a safe distance from his family. The task required all of his attention to be placed on her. Somehow he didn't realize how that would appear to his mother.

During one of the slower dances, Revan said, "Would you mind telling me the story about the woman who has been glaring at me all evening?"

Trae sighed and glanced over at his mother. He was going to need a drink for this one. He said, "Perhaps we can get a drink first." Revan agreed and excused herself to the fresher while Trae made his way to the bar.

After placing his order, a dark figure appeared next to him. Trae looked over to see his brother standing next to him with a smug smile on his face.

The other man said, "A Jedi, Senator?" He laughed slightly. "Mother would never approve."

Trae was just about to tell him to mind his own business when Revan appeared at his side. His brother quickly stepped in and offered his hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "Master Jedi, it is an honor to have you among us this evening."

Revan smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you."

Trae spoke up, "Jedi Revan, meet Taren Quinn." He thought of mentioning the relation, but he knew Quinn never admitted to any familial connection. His thoughts were interrupted when his parents came into view. Quinn released Revan's hand and stepped away.

Trae took a long drink from his glass before continuing. "And this is Lady Karta Storm…my mother." He wasn't sure which woman's eyes he wanted to avoid more.

The smile on Revan's face faded when it wasn't returned by the other woman. Trae prayed his mother would be nice. However, instead she abruptly said, "There's no place for a Jedi within this family."

Trae was mortified.

He looked at Revan to see how she would react. He expected Jedi calm, but instead saw an odd smirk on her face.

Revan said, "Well then it's a good thing Jedi aren't the family type."

Trae's heart dropped as he gasped. It was definitely the wrong thing to say to his mother. He heard a laugh behind him and turned to see his brother in total amusement. Laughing in that situation was something only Quinn could get away with.

Lady Storm's eyes widened in shock and she said, "How dare you speak to me in such a manner!"

Trae felt his world spinning out of control and wanted to say something to make it all stop. All he could do was wait to see what happened next. He didn't wait long. Revan cocked her head to the side, the smirk still upon her face as she regarded the older woman.

She then turned to Trae and stated, "I'm leaving. Don't wait up."

Trae stood in stunned silence as he watched Revan leave the room. He was torn between going after her or soothing his troubled mother. He knew of his mother's dislike for Jedi, but never realized how much it would upset her to be near one. He looked to his father for help. His father nodded knowingly and guided the older woman to their table.

Trae took the moment to run after Revan. However, when he arrived outside of the grand ballroom, she was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Revan was sure she must have missed something along the way. She was usually fairly sharp when it came to local customs and was quite certain she hadn't said anything to offend the older woman. But between Trae's mother and Dark Eyes in the corner, Revan did not like her position and wanted out fast. Of course, the dark eyes she had found upon her much of the evening turned out to belong to Taren Quinn. 

There was something sinister about the way he watched the people around him. He was tall with long black hair tied neatly in the back. She had attempted a light Force probe to get a better read on him, but found it unusually unsuccessful. She made a mental note to check into him a bit further later. But for now, she had found the perfect opportunity to make her leave of Trae and go do a little investigating.

She had wanted another look inside Sienar Systems without the numerous escorts she'd had previously. The Force told her there was something to be found there and she was anxious to find out what it was.

She shed her robes and retrieved the cloak she had hidden earlier before slipping into the Lianna night.

* * *

In the two weeks Revan was gone, Jek did a lot of meditating. It bothered him that he allowed himself to be so affected by what she chose to do with her personal life. 

He knew Revan wouldn't return to the Senate once the trade agreement was finalized. She had been too caught up in the war to stray far from the Fleet. Jek thought maybe it was best that way.

He really couldn't afford to be around her as long as things like the sight of Trae kissing her still made his stomach turn. In fact, he felt the two week gap in their friendship was something they needed to make the separation that was necessary for both of them. Though, he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss her.

* * *

When Revan returned from Lianna, her first priority was to visit the Fleet and inform them of the production progress. They had every right to be thrilled with estimated delivery dates. Of course, she didn't alert them of the fact the first ship had begun production before the initial request for trade. It still warranted further investigation to fill in the gaps left open from her late night "tour" of the facility. 

In the meantime, Malak had contacted her from Manaan. He was still investigating the attempt on Judge Duula's life. He explained everything he had discovered thus far.

"He's the biggest proponent of complete Selkath control of the kolto supply. Based on everything we've come up with, I'm almost certain it's Czerka."

"Have you told them that yet?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No. I was waiting to be sure."

She thought about it a moment. Companies like Czerka were the exact reason Manaan needed to keep control of its own resources. "What's next?"

She saw his image shift. He said, "Well…that's kind of what I need you for."

She groaned, "What?"

He went on to explain, "Pollard Seario will be on Coruscant to attend some thing the Rodians are putting on."

She furrowed her brow. "You mean at the Coruscant Opera?"

Malak nodded. "He's been rumored to have business meetings in his viewing box and I want to know who he's meeting with. The problem is that, although I'm on my way, there's no way I can be there until the day after the show."

She didn't respond. _The Opera?_ She wasn't sure she would like it, but immediately formed a few ideas on how she could pull it off, none of which she was willing to share with Malak.

"Can you do it?" he asked.

She sighed heavily, "Yes, but you'll owe me."

He smiled. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"You've got that right," she shot back.

* * *

The next morning arrived and Revan commed Jek. She anxiously waited for him to answer. And when he did, she wasn't disappointed by the handsome face that appeared. They started out with a brief rundown of the trade agreement finalities. They both agreed that although Sienar's rapid ship building was suspicious, the Republic would certainly benefit from it. 

He asked, "So what now?"

She shrugged, "You know I'm not returning to the Senate. The Council has agreed to let me stay with the Fleet a bit longer. I do have a small thing I have to do for Malak, but I haven't figured out how to do it."

He cocked his head to the side and asked, "What's that?"

She explained, "The President of Czerka Corporation may be having a meeting at the Coruscant Opera. I need to get in so I can keep an eye on him for the entire show."

Jek seemed to think about it for a moment. Unlike her, Jek was more familiar with the Coruscant Opera House. He said, "You'll never be able to do that in general seating. I suppose you could sneak in, but it would be easiest if you were in a box of your own."

She added slyly, "Yes, but wouldn't that seem kind of strange for a woman to attend by herself? I mean, it's a fairly prestigious outing."

He frowned when he realized her ploy. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't think you're going to convince me this was my idea in the first place."

She donned an innocent expression. "Would I do that?"

He grumbled.

Her smile grew. Before ending the call, she asked, "Oh, and I've been itching to spar. Are you up to it?"

He paused again and she didn't know why he all of a sudden had to put thought into something as simple as sparring with her. She had been waiting for a good match. Trae had tried to ask for lessons, but that had been a joke.

* * *

The idea of a two week separation being good for them went away quite quickly. With Revan back, Jek felt all previous worries disappear. They were sparring again and it was something he really looked forward to. 

The first day, Revan was in rare form. He knew he was in trouble the moment he stepped through the doorway. She had been relentless and it was all he could do to keep his defenses in check. She definitely took the opportunity to take all of her aggressions out on him.

The second day was much different. Jek was determined not to let her trample him again. The match started out the same as the others. Each struck and parried quite effectively. Their green blades clashed together in a dance both were very familiar with by now.

When Revan stepped up her attack, Jek was right there with her. He could tell she was pleased with his responsiveness. He usually wasn't one that felt he had to prove anything to anyone. But Revan required her opponents to fight at the next level at all times. She was also highly competitive; something Jek had found resulted from her relationship with Malak.

Soon, the opening he was looking for appeared. He launched his attack and put her on the defensive. For the first time, he saw everything so much more clearly. He struck at her in a flurry of attacks until he had her pinned against the wall of the room. Taking note of her own lessons, he used every advantage he had and used his body to hold her close to the wall while his hands held her wrists at bay.

Her lightsaber deactivated and clattered to the floor as their bodies moved together in deep, labored breaths. He could sense her trying to devise a way to defeat him. But she quickly realized how limited her options were. They were close enough for him to feel her breath upon his lips. With a voice that came from deep inside of him, he said, "Do you give?"

She seemed to search his face as if it would provide the answer she needed. Her eyes finally locked with his for an amount of time he was uncertain of. He suddenly became aware of their proximity and his resolve faltered slightly. She quickly detected it and used the Force to thrust him away, sending him sprawling across the floor. Her saber was at his throat before he had any time to react.

She smiled cunningly as she loomed over him. "You almost had me there, Jek."

* * *

The next day was their "date" to the Coruscant Opera. They were to see a drama created by the Rodians. Many people felt the performances were some of the best in the galaxy. Jek had not seen one yet, but was actually looking forward to it. He made a visit to Senator Krishon to ask permission to use his viewing platform. The Senator had been more than willing to oblige, especially once Jek had mentioned Revan's name. At first he had thought about asking Trae, but quickly tossed the idea aside when his warning sense flared. It was something that definitely made him curious and he would meditate on it later. 

But for now, he was on his way to pick up Revan. The nature of the evening required them to be out of their normal Jedi garb. Finding something to wear had been a task for Jek, but he had somehow managed with the help of an attendant in one of the shops close to the Temple. She found him black trousers and a dark blue shirt to wear. She also talked him into a cape – the standard for an evening at the Opera. Then there was the issue of his hair. The point was not to look like a Jedi, so he chose to wear it loose.

Preparing for the evening had been an all day venture. When he arrived at Revan's quarters, he was anxious to see what she would be wearing. She was never one to wear typical Jedi robes. She'd had so many Masters that one design had never passed on to her. But anything she wore was certain to be practical. Revan didn't like to wear anything that didn't go with her boots. She dressed to be prepared for combat in any situation.

When he arrived, she answered the door wearing a short silk robe. _Probably a gift from Trae_, he mused. Jek was definitely affected by her attire. Sure he had seen her on comm calls before. When they talked in the morning, he'd had brief glimpses of those cute little pajamas she'd worn. But those times were different…he was alone without any need to answer for his reaction.

He looked around the apartment, hoping for some sort of distraction. He found the area relatively clean, despite the datapads everywhere. "I don't think I've ever seen your quarters this neat before."

She said wryly, "Yeah, well, I've been gone for two weeks. So it hasn't had a chance to get messed up since Malak was here."

He glanced at her doubtfully. "You clean it for Malak?"

She scoffed, "Of course not. He cleans it."

Jek blinked. "Malak…cleans your quarters?"

She shrugged and explained, "He's kind of a neat freak."

"I never would have guessed that."

"You look very nice, by the way," she said. She moved closer and he tried to keep his eyes up. She reached out to feel the soft material of his shirt. "That color really brings out your eyes. You should wear blue more often."

He wasn't used to compliments, especially from her. "Thanks," he managed to say.

He sorted through the various datapads on the table and noticed them all pertaining to the Mandalorians. "Someone's been busy."

"I'm just trying to get a better understanding of them. Their philosophy is very interesting. It's so different from the Republic's way of thinking. The more I read about them, the more I wonder if the Republic can beat them. The Mandalorians are masters of war. The Republic philosophy can't compete with that."

He glanced at the datapad in his hand. "And _Mandalorian Mating Rituals_ helped you to come to that conclusion?"

She laughed. "No, but now I know I never want to mate with a Mandalorian."

He laughed.

She handed him a datapad of her own that had many notes she had written. "I've tried to summarize." She walked towards her sleeping chamber and said, "I'll only be a minute."

He read over the offered information. He had guessed she had used her time in hyperspace to and from Lianna to go over much of the information. She was efficient, he had to give her that much.

He finished reading over the datapad and wondered at the time. They were supposed to eat dinner before the Opera and she was taking an unusual amount of time to get ready. He remembered the Senate Ball when she'd had such a hard time figuring out what to wear. Then she showed up in a custom fit robe that was both functional and very flattering. It had been the first time he'd realized Trae was interested in her on more than an intellectual level.

* * *

Revan stood in her sleeping chamber staring at her reflection in the mirror. It wasn't her, she insisted. She was very unsure about the dress Trae had selected for her. It had halter straps, which she concluded were better than the thin kind, and was made of emerald green silk that hugged her form at the top and flared out slightly at the bottom. She hated wearing anything that would be hard to fight in if she needed to, so she picked shoes that would be easy to kick off, since her usual boots wouldn't quite fit the image she was trying to present. 

She ignited her lightsaber and practiced a few forms to make sure the dress would hold up. She really didn't feel the mission they were on would lead to anything like that, but it was always good to go prepared for anything. Her biggest worry was where to put her weapon. She searched through a drawer to find her thigh holster she sometimes used for a small dagger. She laughed as she thought she never would have needed the harness for dinner and a show.

She sighed and finally accepted her attire. She pulled her hair up and tried to form it into some of the common fashions she had seen around Coruscant. Styling her hair had actually taken longer than getting dressed. It didn't take long for her to realize she would have a tough time as a non-Jedi.

Taking one last look in the mirror, she had to admit she looked good. She picked up the cloak she had purchased to wear for the evening and draped it over her arm. She had admired the dark silken material and thought it could easily be transformed into something she would wear on a regular basis.

When she stepped into the common room, Jek was standing at the window. She wasn't expecting his reaction when he turned to face her. His eyes traced her form as his mouth dropped open. The wave of shock that rolled off of him made her silently gasp. She shifted under his gaze – Jek had never looked at her like that before.

He finally broke free of his stupor and said, "You look amazing."

The new information flooded through her and she tried to process it quickly enough to form a response. She offered a quiet, "Thank you."

Both stood in silence for a moment, shields firmly in place. She slowly let out the breath she had been holding. To be honest, she really didn't mind the way he looked at her. Frankly he wasn't that bad to look at, either. He wore his hair down for the first time around her and she didn't need the Force to tell her she was in trouble.

She swallowed hard and said, "We need to get going."

* * *

Jek knew he was in trouble. But he drew a blank as to any good excuse why she should change. He certainly couldn't tell her that he'd never be able to keep his eyes off of her. _Although, we _are_ undercover and she could be jeopardizing the mission by diverting my attention_. He knew that would never go over. It was _his_ problem and he was a Jedi. Surely he could figure out how to get through the night. _But damn_. 

He suddenly wished they could skip dinner and just get the whole night over with. As he followed her out of her apartment, he briefly wondered where she hid her lightsaber. He shook the thought from his head, knowing thoughts like that would do him in for good.

Other things like emotions he had been prepared for. Though he hadn't chosen to identify them by name, he knew there was a chance they could arise from their hidden depths. But lust? No, he hadn't expected that one. Even in their slightest hints of passion, it hadn't been out of lust. It had been for who she was and how she made him feel…as a Jedi as well as a man.

Taking a deep breath, he knew it would be a long night.

* * *

The pair didn't have a great deal of time for dinner. But they did manage to enjoy it regardless. Both were sure to keep the topic on galactic matters. Jek didn't ask about anything that had occurred on Lianna, and didn't really want to know. Therefore, they kept the subject on the war. 

The first vessel to come from Lianna would arrive in three months time. The Fleet would put together a crew to get the ship to the Outer Rim. Once there, it would take on more soldiers from the over-crowded capital ships.

"I'm going to ask the Council to let me go with them," she stated.

Jek was about to place another bite of food in his mouth when he paused. He looked at her questioningly and asked, "You want to join the war?"

"I think the Jedi should have joined some time ago. I'm not confident the Republic soldiers can stand up to the Mandalorian forces. They're losing more battles than they're winning. Quite frankly, the Mandalorians appear to be getting stronger and the Republic getting weaker. If something doesn't happen soon, it will be too late."

He agreed with her, and he knew many other Jedi felt the same way. However, the Council had decided against joining. "Do you really think the Council will let you go?"

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'm not asking for a full scale deployment. I'm volunteering. And I have a feeling others may do the same thing." She paused and looked at him thoughtfully before she asked, "Would you?"

"You know I would." There was no question - Jek would go in an instant.

* * *

The restaurant was not far from the Opera House. Revan and Jek were waiting when the doors opened. However, before they entered, she asked, "Can you mask your signature any more than that?" 

He made an attempt to hide his presence in the Force better, but was unsuccessful. All Jedi had the ability to do it; some were just better at it than others.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him off to a side alley where they wouldn't be seen. She held both of his hands in hers as they faced each other. They closed their eyes and she lowered her shields to allow him to see how she did it. It was something they had never done before and Jek was astounded by what he witnessed. He had always known Revan to be powerful. But once inside, the magnitude of that power took his breath away.

She squeezed his hands more tightly in an attempt to make him concentrate. If it were up to him, they'd scrap the performance and spend the whole evening right where they were. She chuckled as she caught on to his thoughts. He suddenly became aware that she was just as much in his mind as he was in hers. The thought elicited slight panic that she would see things about _her_ that he never intended for her to see. He was quickly soothed by her and reassured that she would never do so without his permission.

He focused on what she was doing and saw how she locked on to her own signature, wrapped the Force around it, and then tamped it down. He smiled at the simplicity of it. Once he did it successfully, she allowed their senses to mingle together for a moment longer before slowly slipping away.

He opened his eyes and stared at her with the feeling he had truly been given a gift. They didn't move away from each other and stood hand in hand as they tried to decipher what had just transpired. He knew that she now also saw a part of him that she had never seen before and couldn't help but wonder what she thought. He finally found his voice and said, "I've always wondered how you were able to hide your presence so well."

She smiled and said, "We'll have to do that again sometime."

He hoped it would be soon.

* * *

Once inside, the two made their way to the private viewing balcony Senator Krishon had allowed them to use in his stead. The area was big enough for eight people. It had plush cloth covered walls the color of burgundy. Each seat was of softest nerf leather. The numerous balconies surrounded the stage in a semi-circle that encased the general seating in the center. From their vantage point, Jek and Revan had a perfect view of both the stage and Seario's balcony. 

They took their seats and waited for the show to begin. Jek noticed how Revan seemed fascinated with the activities. He never realized she hadn't been there before. His Master had taken him as a young Padawan. Jek wasn't thrilled about it at first, but he'd grown to like it. He'd never seen a Rodian performance but had heard quite a few people praise them.

The lights lowered and both Jedi were thankful their booth was close enough to still allow them the view they required. The show started and their attention was riveted to the stage.

It wasn't until the third act when a shift was detected from the other box. Though they needed to mask their presence, the Force was still required to slightly enhance their sight. A tall man with very dark hair stepped in and was seated next to Pollard Seario.

Jek heard Revan say, "You've got to be kidding me."

He directed his attention to her. "What?"

She said nothing for a short while. When he was about to ask again, she said, "Taren Quinn."

It was not a name Jek had ever heard before. However, admittedly, Revan had been to twice as many places as he had.

She sat back in her seat and seemed to process the information with her eyes on the performance below. She finally said, "I met him on Lianna. He has a large financial interest in Sienar and many other corporations on the planet. I had a feeling there was something about him. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see him with the likes of Czerka."

"Did you speak with him?" Jek asked.

"Only long enough to learn his name. I went to Sienar that night to do a little investigating. That's where I found out how he was connected with them."

Jek's lips formed a tight line. "And they just gave you that information, right?"

She smiled and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "From a certain point of view, yes." She shrugged. "I mean, if they can't provide ample security for their computer system, then they're just giving information away."

"And where was Trae?"

She thought for a moment and said, "At his home, I guess."

Jek was dying to ask more. Why wasn't Trae with her? Why didn't she know where Trae was? Why didn't she seem to care? But he had promised himself that he wouldn't ask about Lianna. So he held his tongue and continued on. "He doesn't look like the type to get his hands dirty."

"Yes, but I'm willing to bet he knows how to get something done," she said absently.

Jek agreed, "He wouldn't be with Seario if he didn't." Then a thought struck him. "You don't think he'll recognize you?"

She scoffed, "Dressed like this? I doubt it."

Jek didn't have her optimism. She obviously underestimated her appearance throughout the night. For Jek's part, how could Taren Quinn miss her? In fact, Jek hadn't been able to stop looking at her all evening.

* * *

After the performance, Revan and Jek stopped by an establishment commonly frequented by theater-goers. They had gathered the information they needed and Revan would pass everything they had discovered on to Malak. 

She had to admit she was very curious about Taren Quinn. It appeared that Trae at least knew the man. However, she didn't think Trae was very interested in speaking with her at the moment. He hadn't been very happy with her disappearance the last night she was there. When she left the planet, he was still trying to figure out how she'd breached his security to enter back into the estate.

Somehow she knew she wouldn't be able to ask Jek to speak with Trae either. It's not that Jek would mind...but she really didn't feel like getting into the details of her argument with the Senator. Leaving out the amount of times Jek's name had been mentioned would create too many holes in her defense.

When it came down to it, Trae couldn't come to terms with how easily a Jedi could detach themselves from others. Of course, she then had made some disparaging remarks about his mother and that was the end of the conversation.

She pushed the memory aside when Jek returned to their table with two drinks. Earlier that evening, she never would have thought she'd want to continue their night out after the show. But the night had given them both the opportunity to live outside of who they were.

"What did you think of the performance?" Jek asked.

She sipped her drink before saying, "I think it was fine, but judging from the shrieks heard throughout the auditorium, I would guess it was a little gruesome for most."

He smiled. "It was definitely an interesting story."

Revan shifted in her seat. The harness she used to secure her lightsaber was not very comfortable. She sensed Jek's amusement and glanced over at him. There it was again…the smile she had only seen once before. It's not that he never smiled, just not like that. Curious, she asked, "What are you smiling about?"

He blushed slightly and looked away for a moment. He said, "I, uh…I just figured out where you're hiding your weapon."

She laughed and asked suggestively, "Would you like to see it?"

He laughed with her and his face turned a brighter shade of red. "Maybe later."

Their laughter subsided, but their smiles remained. They drank more of their drinks and listened to the music that was provided by the Rodians. Jek cocked his head to the side and said, "I am curious. I never would have expected you to be in something so…" He glanced down at the dress as he searched for the right words.

Revan smiled knowingly. "I know, it's not exactly my style. I tried telling Trae that."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not complaining," he added.

She laughed. She ran her fingers along the rim of her glass and said, "Somehow I think Trae was searching for a woman, not a Jedi."

Jek's expression grew serious as he stared at her a moment. He then said, "He must not have been looking close enough."

She was sure her heart just stopped. She recalled wearing the dress on Lianna. She refused to leave the estate with it on and would only wear it inside. The dress had made her feel defenseless in Trae's company. However, it was different wearing it with Jek. She supposed he was someone she felt safe feeling vulnerable with…although it also made her vulnerable to him.

Her musings were interrupted by a brush across her senses. She knew well enough it wasn't Jek. She glanced around quickly and Jek said, "I felt it too."

Both Jedi searched the room with their eyes, but didn't uncover anything. Revan sat in silence for a moment and recalled where she'd had the feeling before. "Taren Quinn."

Jek looked at her with a puzzled expression. "That would mean he's –"

"Force sensitive," she said, finishing his statement.

"Do you want to follow him?" he asked.

She shook her head distractedly. "No. We need to know what we're dealing with first." She paused a moment before saying, "Are you ready to go back?"

* * *

The two Jedi returned to Revan's quarters within the Temple. Information about Jedi initiates was not difficult to acquire and both thought they would be able to gain access from there. 

The first thing she did when she walked in was kick off the shoes she had been wearing. "I do not know how women wear those things. They're horrible." She sat down on the couch and examined her feet. "I think they gave me blisters," she announced in disbelief.

Jek was already busy at the terminal access of her comm station. She was still grumbling about the shoes when he sat down next to her and handed her a datapad. He said, "You read, I'll take care of your feet." He reached down and hooked an arm around her legs, pulling them to rest on his lap.

Revan leaned back on a pillow and looked over the contents of the datapad. She tapped through the necessary screens to get to what she looked for. Then she felt a cooling sensation that started at her ankles and moved slowly over her heel, along her arch, and then through her toes. She couldn't help the soft moan that escaped as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. "Oh Jek, that feels wonderful."

He chuckled, "You're supposed to be reading."

She smiled broadly and said, "Just promise not to stop."

He continued to soothe the soreness as she searched for any trainees in the past thirty years by the name of Taren Quinn. Just as she started to think she would have Jek do this to her more often, she found what she was looking for.

"Hmm," she said.

Jek paused his ministrations. "What?"

She peeked over the datapad and nodded for him to continue. He laughed, but did as she asked.

She explained, "It appears he was here for at least ten years. There's no record of him being chosen as a Padawan." She paused to pull up another screen. "He was assigned to Telos."

"It doesn't appear he stayed there," Jek said.

"No, in fact he never went. He left the Order and returned to his home planet…Lianna."

"So he's a potentially half-trained Force sensitive that has business relations with Czerka Corporation."

"I had a hard time getting a read on him there. He was obviously masking his presence very well. Which means either his skills have improved or he's not that strong."

"I wonder why he wasn't chosen as a Padawan." Jek stood and let Revan's legs drop unceremoniously to the couch, causing her to pout slightly. He walked over to the comm station and sat down.

Revan padded over to him to look over his shoulder. He tapped in a few commands and pulled up Quinn's parting evaluation. She was stunned. "How did you do that?"

He snickered, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

She would.

Jek looked over a few things before saying, "Force, Revan, he has a longer disciplinary record than you do."

"Hey!" she was affronted. "And how do you know how long my record is?"

He smiled slyly. Then he furrowed his brow. "He was brought here by Master Zentar…his father."

"I wonder who his mother was," Revan said.

Jek tapped a few more sequences and said, "He returned to Lianna to reside with a Karta Santhe."

Revan's eyes went wide as she processed the information. "That son of a schutta! No wonder that woman hated me so much!" She started to pace. "When I get a hold of him…"

Jek asked, "What are you talking about?"

She pointed to the terminal. "See if you can find the maiden name for Lady Karta Storm of Lianna."

Jek did and sure enough, they were one in the same.

Revan shook her head. "I've never heard of a Master Zentar."

Jek accessed another file. "He died three years after Quinn was brought here."

She slumped down on the couch, feeling duped. It was not a feeling she appreciated in the least.

Jek shut down the terminal and returned to the couch next to her. He lifted her legs again and continued his previous massage.

She leaned back again and relaxed into it. He really was quite good and soon she forgot all about Senators and their screwed up families. She reached down and pulled up her dress enough to reveal the thigh holster. She unfastened it and laid it and her lightsaber on the ground next to the couch. Her leg was left with red indentations from the device.

Jek seemed to hesitate at first. But then he reached a tender hand to smooth across her leg and make the marks disappear. She could feel the cool sense of the Force mixed with the intoxicating warmth of his touch.

A small voice inside of her said, _Stop!_ While the other, much louder voice asked, _Why?_ It was the story of her life, really.

* * *

Jek treaded on dangerous territory. It had started out simple enough – her feet hurt and he had the ability to make the pain go away. But the fact was that he had never been so intimate with her. Actually, he'd had the desire to touch her all evening. He'd started out carelessly brushing along her bare arm as he helped her with her cloak. Now he was soothing away angry welts on her bare thigh. He supposed he should go before he found something else to move on to. 

She said, "Would you mind if I went to change? I think I've had enough of this dress."

His first instinct was to agree, but then he wondered what she would change in to. What if she came out in her pajamas? He'd never be able to trust himself if that happened. He looked at the chrono and noticed it was very late. He said, "That's okay, I really need to go."

She sat up and smoothed out her dress. She stood and offered a hand for him to do the same. He took it and let her lead him towards the door. It took everything he had to not find a reason to stay.

When they were a couple of meters away from the door, she stopped and faced him. She stepped so close he could feel the heat from her body. She stood on the tips of her toes and placed a gentle kiss upon his lips. She let their lips linger a little longer before pulling away. She smiled shyly with a shrug and explained, "First date."

He was slightly stunned and forced himself to move to the doorway. He reached up to press the door release and his hand hovered over the control for a moment too long. He dropped his hand and turned to face her. Without further delay, he closed the distance between them and backed her up against the wall. She had a sexy smile upon her lips and all pretenses went somewhere else as he kissed her deeply.

His tongue swirled with hers as his hands glided up her arms, neck, and through her hair. His pent-up desire for her unleashed itself. He wanted nothing more than to slip off the dress and feel the flesh beneath it…to feel it pressed against his as he moved inside of her.

Their clothes fell quickly to the floor and they spent the rest of the night bringing each other to ecstasy over and over again.

* * *

It was morning and Revan was enjoying a dreamless sleep. She was snuggled in her bed and felt more relaxed than she ever had waking up before. She felt a familiar brush across her senses and pushed it away, _/I'm sleeping/_. 

_/And you can go back to sleeping as soon as you let me in so I can drop my stuff off./_ was the reply.

She ignored him and hoped he would go away.

_/Come on, I'll only be a minute. You don't have to worry about me disturbing your Senator friend./_ he teased.

She opened one eye, _Senator friend?_ All of a sudden, the events of the past evening flooded back to her. Her eyes widened and she clamped down hard on her shields as she slowly rolled over to discover the man sleeping beside her…_Jek_. She looked towards the door…_Malak_.

She suppressed her slight panic and gingerly slid out of her bed in an attempt not to disturb its other occupant. She slipped on a robe and shut the door behind her as she went to the common room.

She could sense Malak's amusement on the other side of the door. Wondering how long it would last, she tried to pick up clothes that had been tossed in every direction the night before. She was somewhat thankful Jek hadn't worn his robes. The amusement mixed with impatience before she pressed the door release.

Malak was in the room before the door even opened all the way. "What took you so long?"

She concentrated on keeping her face expression-free. "What are you doing here?"

He placed his bag next to the sleeping chamber door and said quietly, "Master Vash's class. I told you I was coming back for it."

"You did. I didn't realize it was today," she said. She walked towards the sitting area.

He approached her with a knowing smile. "I didn't think you'd really do it."

"Do what?" she asked.

He looked at her as if it were obvious. "The Senator."

She smiled tightly. "You don't want to be late for your class."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll get out of your hair. You'll just have to tell me everything later."

He turned to leave and took two paces before he froze. She followed his gaze down to the floor where Jek's lightsaber lay next to a chair. It was apparent he recognized it as shock flowed through their bond in a massive wave. He turned to face her with a look of total disbelief.

She didn't move and still held no expression as she watched him carefully. Shock was briefly replaced by pain…that was immediately consumed by anger. Without a word, his eyes turned cold as he stormed towards the door. He used the Force to open it with such power it nearly knocked it off its track. The sound of it reverberated through the walls of her quarters.

* * *

Voices from the other room slowly brought Jek out of his slumber. He opened his eyes to look at the empty pillow beside him and wondered who would be visiting so early. He lifted his head to search the room for a chrono. When he saw that it was already 0930 hours, he sat up swiftly. "My class!" 

He went to get out of bed and glanced at the door. "My clothes."

Using the Force, he reached out to see if he could find out who was there and if they had any intention of leaving. He groaned at his discovery, "Malak." _Great timing._

He shook his head, _Malak's not going to like this. Did I think of that?_ He _had_ thought about it. However, that was right around the time she slipped her hand into his pants and he had lost all coherent thought after that. He thought briefly on the events that had followed. He sighed as he thought of the only word to describe it, _Incredible_.

He rubbed his hands over his face and stalled when he felt a slight disturbance in the Force. It was followed soon after by a loud bang from the other room. He quickly gathered the sheet around him and headed for the source.

When the door slid open, he saw her standing at the window running a finger along her lips. He'd seen her do that before when deep in thought. He'd always found it very sensual. He leaned against the doorjamb and waited for her to come out of her thoughts.

It was futile to try to get a read on her at the moment. He wanted more than anything to know what she was thinking…_how_ she was feeling. He could handle just about anything…except regret. Rejection would be better than regret.

Her hand stilled and she looked up at him with a faint smile. "Good morning," she said quietly.

He motioned towards the door. "Malak?"

She nodded.

He saw his clothes draped neatly over a chair and moved towards them. He paused before he started dressing to say, "I'm really sorry. But I have a class…and we slept late." He felt like a complete jerk leaving so quickly – especially under the circumstances.

He was quite surprised when she burst into laughter. It was the last thing he had suspected. He grabbed his shirt self-consciously. "What's so funny?"

She barely contained her laughter long enough to ask, "Please tell me it's the session with Master Vash."

He looked at her with confusion and then a thought struck him. "Oh no…he's not…"

She confirmed his suspicions with a knowing nod. He groaned, "That's in fifteen minutes." The prospect of sitting in the same session for most of the day with Malak was not good. "You don't have to laugh quite so hard."

She said, "I'm sorry. But I hope you don't mind if I procure the security tapes for that room."

He slid a leg into his pants as he said, "No, please do. Then we'll be sure to have proof that he actually _can_ burn holes in me with his eyes."

She laughed a little more as she watched him dress. When he finished, he looked around for the last item. He saw it resting in the palm of her outstretched hand.

She called it, "The culprit."

He smiled as he approached her and accepted his lightsaber. He clipped it to his belt and wondered what to do next. Many thoughts ran through his mind. First and foremost was the sudden thought that things would never be the same. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly in a way he hoped wasn't 'Goodbye.' He kissed her again just in case it was.

* * *

The session with Master Vash was something Jek had looked forward to for quite some time. The subject was enhanced split-level concentration. Most Jedi were capable of the simpler form. However, what Master Vash suggested would enable them to focus on multiple occurrences at the same time. 

The attendees sat cross-legged on the floor of the training room while different events occurred within the area. After brief instruction, everyone in the room was able to direct their awareness to many places. So as Jek sat there, he marveled at his new-found ability. Levitation exercise in the corner; Malak's attempt to disintegrate him with his glare; lightsaber match off to the side; Revan's head thrown back, eyes heavy-lidded with desire, lips slightly parted as he… _Okay, scratch the last one_. He shifted his position slightly as he thought it wasn't the right environment for those images.

He sighed to himself. He had been in the session for almost three hours and hadn't been able to keep his thoughts away from the previous night. At first, they had both been frantic for release before falling asleep sated on the couch. Then she woke him up to move to the bedroom. When they stopped at the dispenser for a drink, he was overcome once more by the mere sight of water dripping from her swollen lips.

Of course, he hadn't exactly woken under the best of circumstances. He glanced over at the tall bastard with the tattoos. _Doesn't he ever blink?_ Jek frowned slightly as he looked away. It didn't help that he knew he wouldn't be able to speak with Revan until after Tall Bastard left.

* * *

As Malak approached Revan's quarters, he attempted to quell his frustration. Of all the men in the galaxy, why did it have to be that one? How long had it been going on? Had it been weeks? Months? Is that why she'd been upset at the club when he left with Tolana? Had he hurt her in some way? Had it even grown to the point there were feelings between them? He shook the thought out of his head, _Revan would never let it go that far. _He tried to tell himself that he would have known before. She wouldn't have been able to keep something like that from him. He would have detected it. 

It hadn't helped that he sat in session all day with Jek in his line of sight. Malak wouldn't have wanted to be in that position on any day. At first, he had scoffed at the other Jedi for being late…_something else he probably _got_ from Revan_. Then Jek had the audacity to look at him like Malak had no right to be upset. Didn't Jek realize that Revan was off limits?

He felt a tightening in his chest as another thought struck him, _Didn't Revan realize that _Jek_ was off limits?_ What was she thinking? They had goals. Jek was nothing but a…a liability.

When he arrived at her quarters, she let him in without a word passed by either of them. She then stood by the window with her back to him.

He paced around the room and tried his best to control his irritation. He stopped and stared at her with disapproval. "How could you be so reckless?"

HHHHer expression turned to confusion as she turned to face him. "What?"

"I can't believe you would go against your training like that," he stated as he walked towards her.

He could sense her annoyance as she said, "What are you talking about, Mal? You do this kind of stuff all the time."

He defended, "What I do doesn't matter. _You_ don't do these things."

She looked at him doubtfully. "Don't give me that crap, Malak. A few weeks ago you were trying to push me into sleeping with Trae Storm."

_A few weeks ago, you were upset when Jek left with another woman._ He stood directly in front of her and leaned towards her. "This isn't like that. Is it, Revan?"

She clenched her jaw and bit out, "I'm going to take a nap." She turned on her heel and walked towards her sleeping chamber. With a twisted smile, she threw back, "I didn't get much sleep last night." His anger spiked again and he slumped on the couch.

A thought occurred to him, "I want those sheets changed before I sleep in that bed tonight."

She poked her head back out and said, "Well then you might not want to sit on that couch, either."

He stood quickly and could still sense the passion from the night before hanging in the air. He felt traces of Jek's aura everywhere…on the couch, by the door, next to the dispenser, through the doorway to her sleeping chamber. It was enough to make his skin crawl and he had to get out of there.

* * *

A/N: As always, your comments are appreciated. Thanks to my wonderful betas Alexandra3 and Lossefalme. 


	4. There Is Knowledge Part II

Disclaimer: The characters and the GFFA belong to Lucas, Bioware, and Obsidian. I make no money from this.

A/N: Special thanks go to my betas, Alexandra3 and Lossefalme. Without their combined feedback, this story would not be what it is.

* * *

The war in the Outer Rim continued. The Republic was in the midst of a seemingly never-ending battle on and around the planet of Suurja. As reports filed in, it didn't appear that either side had gained an advantage in the conflict. The only good news to come from that was the Republic hadn't actually lost another battle. 

On Coruscant, Revan had been holding informational sessions for interested Jedi, as the Fleet was eager to gain the Council's support. But so far, the Council had been unwilling to reconsider their decision to stay out of the conflict. It seemed the stalemate at Suurja only frustrated the Jedi on Coruscant because they saw their own situation as being similar. The numbers in attendance at the information sessions grew on a weekly basis.

Meanwhile, on Manaan, Judge Duula's attempted murder investigation had gained a little progress. The assailant had been apprehended and was being held in the Ahto City Jail. The courts seemed pleased to have the suspect in custody, but Malak was not. He, Revan, and - to Malak's annoyance - Jek had tried to find more information to link Taren Quinn to the crime. The imprisoned suspect had been unable to identify his contacts and the transaction had been untraceable. It was only a matter of time before the Judges forced a trial. With limited information on the conspirators, the suspect would surely be sentenced to death and the case would be closed. Such was the way of the Manaan legal system.

While Malak tried to get more information from the suspect on Manaan, Revan and Jek decided to visit one of Czerka's corporate offices on Brentaal IV. There, they hoped to find more information that could link Seario and Taren Quinn to the activities on Manaan.

They approached the offices in the middle of the Cormond metropolis in the pre-dawn hours. Their main objective was to reach the administrator's office so they could download the necessary information from the mainframe. Getting into the secure office was the simple part. The more time Revan spent with Jek, the more intrigued with his abilities to bypass so many security protocols she became. She took every opportunity she could to learn from him… often in the form of over-inquisitiveness.

Once inside, Jek set to work on obtaining the proper information. Revan positioned herself to peer over his shoulder. After her fifth question, his annoyance seeped through when he said, "This would go a lot faster if I weren't under interrogation."

She rolled her eyes. "Well you can tell me this stuff all you want when we're in the Temple. But I like to observe its practical uses as well."

"Somehow I'd feel better if I knew you were keeping an eye out for anyone coming."

She groaned, "Fine, fine, I'll leave you alone. Just make sure you don't trip any alerts while you're in th-"

She was interrupted by the sound of alarms blaring throughout the entire section of the building. She stated, "Get what you can while I figure out how to get out of here."

Jek worked furiously on downloading as much information to his datacard as he could. Revan searched the room for every possible way out. She could detect life forms approaching, but one look at the ceiling was all she needed.

Revan said, "Found it. Let's go."

Jek removed his datacard and slid it into a pocket inside his tunic. As he moved away from the desk, Revan said, "Too late."

As soon as the words left her mouth, two doors to the room slid open and a man emerged from each one, bringing heavy blasters to bear. Revan motioned Jek to move to where she stood. He slowly moved with his hands held up for the men to see.

"Any ideas?" he murmured.

"I'll take the big one, you get the other," she advised.

She sent a slight nudge in the Force to indicate her mark. Both Jedi's lightsabers flew to their hands and immediately started deflecting the blaster fire that ensued. With skillful deflection, Revan and Jek were able to return the blaster bolts to the guards. Fortunately for the guards, the weapons were set to stun.

Revan used the Force to pull away the ventilation grate above their heads. She leapt up and grabbed the edge of the opening, pulling herself through.

Jek said, "Revan, I can't fit through there!"

She peaked back through the opening and said, "You will if you want out of there." And then she moved away to wait for his move. She could detect more life forms approaching and began to grow impatient with his reluctance.

She was about to prod him again when he followed her movements and squeezed into the ventilation shaft where she waited. She pushed him back to gain access to the opening. Levitating the grate back to her, she was able to secure it back into place.

She turned to take the lead and made her way through the tight pathway. It was difficult for her, so she knew it was tough for him. "Rev-"

There was no way he was backing out. They had no other option. "It opens up more in about four meters. Just keep moving."

Fortunately, the shaft was relatively clean. Revan found herself very thankful the building superintendents had insisted on sending cleaning droids into their ventilation systems. She could feel the build up of the Force around Jek and suspected he was using it to facilitate his movements. They eventually made it to the space she'd spoken of; although, it didn't open up nearly as much as she'd hoped. Hopefully the little bit would be enough to get Jek moving faster.

"You still with me?" she asked.

"Yes, but it's not like I'm a gizka, you know," he grumbled.

She smiled to herself and was glad he wasn't so miserable as to forget his sarcasm. "Are you calling me a gizka?" she asked with amusement.

"Nimble legs, the ability to move in tight places, I can see the similarities."

It sure didn't sound like a compliment. "You do know you'll pay for that statement?" she warned.

"What? I thought gizkas were supposed to be cute?" he said innocently.

She huffed, "Maybe to some, but I sure wouldn't like my physique to be compared to one."

The light from another grate poured through to illuminate her as she passed over it. She heard a slight groan from behind her. In a suggestive tone, he said, "Trust me, there's nothing wrong with your physique from _my_ point of view."

She laughed throatily as she considered his "view" of her backside.

The two continued to move through the ventilation system until they came to a safe enough area to drop into, which happened to be a utility room. From there, they were able to move about the building undetected. They still had to move quickly; they had no idea how long it would be until the guards in the administrator's office were able to alert others to the Jedi's escape path.

Revan had been concentrating on detecting life forms when they passed an access hatch to the exterior catwalk. Jek pulled her through the hatch and onto the girder walkway just before the building went into forced lockdown. The hatch behind them sealed shut blocking any exit.

Revan looked back at the hatch and then to Jek. "Good call."

"Now how do we get off this thing?" Jek asked as he looked around for the answer.

The wind whipped around them as Revan studied the situation. She pointed to a similar structure about ten meters below them on the next building. A public transport was passing near it at the time. "If we can get to that platform, we should be able to jump on the next transport."

Daylight had not yet reached their current level amidst the tall buildings. Therefore, the jump they made to the lower platform went unseen. The two waited for the next transport to pass by and used the Force to land upon it as quietly as possible. Revan decided the Force was with them, as the transport took them to the outskirts of the metropolis where they had left their ship.

The two boarded the shuttle and didn't waste any time in getting it fired up. It was the same shuttle they had taken many times before. Therefore, startup went smoothly and they soon found themselves requesting permission to leave the planet's atmosphere.

Once he'd set a course to Coruscant, Jek leaned back in the pilot's seat and rubbed the stiffness out of his neck. "That was a long night. I think I could sleep for two days." He looked over at Revan. "Do all of your reconnaissance missions end like that?"

She smirked. "Well, normally Malak and I fight over who gets to take on the big guy." She shook her head slowly as she imagined the added difficulty that would have ensued if her long-time friend had been with her instead. "And there's no way he would have fit in that ventilation shaft."

Jek scoffed, "_I_ didn't fit in it!"

She dismissed his comment. "It appears you made it through just fine to me."

"Well, when you wave a nerf steak in front of a kath hound…" He trailed off with a suggestive smile. His expression changed to that of a predator as he slid out of his seat to slowly move closer to her.

_A nerf steak?_ When he reached her seat, she placed her hand on his chest to stop his approach. "Whoa! First I'm a gizka, now I'm a nerf steak?"

She offered little resistance as he moved away her arm to get close enough to slide his arms around her. He firmly grabbed her behind and pulled her closer to him. Nuzzling into her neck, he nipped at her ear. "You taste much better than a nerf steak."

She tilted her head to give him better access. "I thought you said you were tired."

Revan moaned softly as he continued to kiss and lick along the tender areas of her neck. In a deep voice, he said, "I never said I wanted to sleep alone."

As usual, she melted into his arms as she gave into his ministrations. He pulled back and rose to his feet. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the shuttle's sleeping berth.

It had been almost three months since their first night together. There had been few nights in between when the two had actually slept alone. Revan found this new aspect of their friendship very gratifying.

* * *

Upon returning to Coruscant, Revan and Jek immediately started to decipher the data they had recovered from Czerka. They didn't find anything regarding Manaan. But they did find a link to Taren Quinn and a supposed location on the planet Desevro. From what they gathered from the data, the location could possibly be Quinn's main base of operations. It all made sense; Desevro was not a member of the Republic. Therefore, it made a good place to hide from the wandering eye. Its close proximity to the Lianna system would also make it easy for Quinn to keep an eye on his other dealings. 

Although Revan had wanted to blast Trae for skillfully leaving his family history out of any conversation, she didn't want to tip her hand to Quinn. Therefore, she maintained her silence with the Senator as she and Jek continued their investigation.

Revan contacted Malak and informed him of their findings. Malak insisted he and Revan travel to Desevro to see what more they could uncover. The Jedi wanted to keep the element of surprise on their side, so making an unexpected visit was best. Sienar Systems was to deliver its first two ships to the Fleet. Most of those involved would have expected Revan to be there for the arrival of the _Balron_ and the _Exodus_; which is precisely why that time was chosen for their mission.

Revan and Malak agreed to rendezvous on Arjus before making their way to Desevro. From Arjus, they would then wait until nightfall to move on to the designated location in a mountainous area on the northern hemisphere of Desevro.

The complex rested on the outskirts of a small city settled on a plateau. There was plenty of traffic within the region, and the arrival of their ship didn't raise many questions. The complex didn't look nearly as large as it was upon closer inspection. The carefully concealed docking bay - that could have easily housed a large freighter - was only visible to one with a trained eye.

Each entrance was casually watched by an unassuming guard. However, the Jedi certainly didn't go in unprepared. Several old mining shafts surrounded the area. The trick was finding the one that led them within the perimeter of the complex walls. It took two hours before Malak found a usable entrance. He signaled for Revan and they made their way in.

Once inside, they maneuvered from the sublevels up to the upper level chamber they had assumed to be Quinn's control room. From there, they waited for their unsuspecting host to arrive.

The room was shaped in a semi-circle. Several monitors and controls lined the back wall. In front of those was a long desk. Judging from the pleasant smell within the room, Revan guessed it was made from scentwood. It wasn't surprising; Quinn would no doubt enjoy the finer things the galaxy had to offer just as his brother had.

Both Jedi stood in opposite areas of the darkened room where both doors could be monitored. With any luck, they would see Quinn before he saw them. Revan was still uncertain as to what level of Force skills Quinn was capable of. From what she had gathered from his records, he seemed particularly good at interpreting thoughts and employing persuasion techniques.

/_I still think we should just break into the computer system, get what we want, and leave/_ Malak sent to Revan.

"Quit using the Force," she snapped in a harsh whisper.

Revan could tell he wasn't pleased with her way of doing things. He felt she was giving Quinn more credit than he deserved. After all, Quinn wasn't even chosen as Padawan as far as Malak was concerned. '_He was half way to Telos for the Force's sake_,' he had said.

The door closest to Malak slid open. Taren Quinn walked in wearing a black tunic and trousers. He was followed by a young boy with similar attributes. The boy, already as tall as Revan, looked to be in his early teens.

Quinn said, "Load our last game into the dejarik table, Cree. I believe it was your move. I'll be there in a moment."

"Yes sir," the boy said before moving off to a table halfway between the door and where Revan stood. His soft voice indicated he might be younger than he looked.

The older man walked toward the desk and seemed to slow mid-stride. He stopped just short of the desk and Revan could feel his Force probe throughout the room. He said, "You should have called ahead. I'm afraid you've missed the evening meal."

"Then it wouldn't have been a surprise," Revan said with a smile before stepping out of her hiding place. She gave Malak a little nudge with the Force and heard him growl as he reluctantly stepped into view.

Quinn made a quick appraisal of the two visitors. He seemed to regard Malak for a moment longer; no doubt trying to assess his odds. The two Jedi moved closer together.

Quinn smirked. "I must say it's quite impressive the two of you were able to get in here." He paused before asking, "Which one of you is the brains behind this operation?" He finished his words with his eyes solely on Revan to imply he knew the answer.

Malak bristled.

"Taren Quinn, this is –" Revan started.

"The Jedi Malak," Quinn interrupted. He turned his attention to Malak. "Yes, I've heard many things about you. It's an honor to finally meet you."

Malak wasn't always one for pleasantries. "Yes, I've heard quite a bit about you as well."

Quinn's expression held a humorless smile.

The boy was still sitting at the dejarik table paying little attention to what was going on around him. He seemed much more interested in what his next move would be. Revan sent a little nudge to the Monnok. The holographic creature raised a spear and the boy blinked. His eyes left the board to quickly dart around the room. They paused briefly on Revan before returning to the board.

The boy studied the board a moment and then his eyes lit up. Revan could feel a burst of excitement as he entered the command for the Monnok to take out the Grimtaash. He looked back at Revan with a hint of curiosity. She stared ahead with an air of innocence.

"Cree!" Quinn commanded.

Revan could detect the boy's mental flinch, but his body did not betray it. Quinn continued, "Due to the arrival of our guests, it seems that our game will have to wait." The older man watched Revan as he added, "I know you were so looking forward to the match."

Revan smirked at his attempt to make her feel like she had ruined the boy's evening. Quinn ordered, "Go now."

"Yes sir." The boy saved the game and deactivated the display. He glanced at Revan as he passed her with a slight smile. He left through the other door.

"He will learn the game on his own, if you don't mind," Quinn chided.

Revan snorted, "It's not like I gave him the move that would have guaranteed his win."

Quinn glanced at the deactivated table a moment. Revan briefly wondered how good of a dejarik player Taren Quinn really was.

Quinn started, "I'm assuming since you haven't drawn your weapons that you're here for a civil chat. Is that correct?"

Malak smiled, "Sure. You tell us what we want to know and we'll leave just as quietly as we came."

"And what is it you would like to know, Master Jedi?" Quinn asked with a tired expression.

"What's your relationship with Pollard Seario?" Malak always was one to jump right to the point.

Quinn waved a hand as he said, "Pollard and I are old friends. Whenever we're both on Coruscant, we're always sure to capture a performance of some sort. Like myself, he's quite appreciative of the arts." He turned his attention back to Revan. "Did you enjoy the Rodian's performance, Jedi Revan? Some say the brutality was overdone."

"I suppose they would think that if they didn't know anything about Rodians," she answered.

He studied her for a moment. "I would have thought you'd be on Coruscant to await the arrival of the newest members of the Republic Fleet."

"I had other plans."

He shrugged. "It's just as well. From what I hear, it was a rather somber occasion. You know, given the news from the front lines."

Revan didn't want to appear curious as to what he was referring to. The situation she and Malak were in was one that required them to be one step ahead of Quinn. She attempted to come up with a safe response. "Yes, well war isn't necessarily something to celebrate."

Quinn smiled thinly and said, "It is to the Mandalorians." He held his hands in front of him. "Would you allow me to show you the latest footage? I'm sure you have access to it. However, you have been traveling."

Quinn was a hard one to read. She didn't detect any duplicity in his request. But that didn't mean it wasn't there. He recognized her inner conflict. "Jedi Revan, I assure you if I had any intentions of alerting my guards, they would already be here."

She recalled the boy who had just left and knew he was completely capable of drawing attention to Quinn's sanctuary. Malak must have had the same thoughts and Revan knew he would be just as curious. He nodded to Quinn and added, "And I'm sure you're aware that we can handle just about anything you send our way."

"Well, regardless of whether you'd survive or not, I have no doubt you would inflict serious harm on some otherwise good men. Therefore, I would prefer this meeting remain peaceful." He pressed a button from a control on his desk. "After all, I think the galaxy has enough fighting, don't you think?"

A panel on the flat wall behind the desk slid open and a wide drawer emerged to reveal a holoprojector. The image activated to the holonews. The two Jedi listened intently as the news revealed the devastation that had occurred on the planet Serroco. It was reported the Mandalorians had employed nuclear weapons in their attack, killing countless civilians in the process. It would take weeks to get recovery droids through the atmosphere to assess the damage.

If it was a trick by Quinn to distract the Jedi, it definitely worked. However, he didn't take advantage of it. Instead, he chuckled, "Ah, so the Jedi do care."

Malak snorted, "Do you?"

Quinn smiled humorlessly. "I'm a businessman, Jedi Malak. Where war is a very profitable endeavor for me, I still prefer the Republic to be the victor. The Mandalorians don't have much business sense."

"And what is it that you do that makes war profitable for you?" Revan asked.

Quinn's smile turned genuine. "Yes, that is what you came for, isn't it?" He motioned to an arrangement of seats. "Please, may we sit?"

Revan and Quinn sat across from each other, but Malak chose to remain standing. He instead leaned against the edge of the desk.

Quinn began, "I'm certain you already know of various holdings I have in place." He leaned towards Revan. "That was quite clever how you were able to break into Sienar's facilities. I designed that system myself and would very much like to know how you got past it."

She smiled. "I'm sure you would. But let's start with Seario."

Quinn leaned back. "Pollard is a… crafty businessman. The contracts he has in place with the Fleet were very well written. The man stands to gain a fortune by supplying goods to the soldiers. Certainly you understand he has to get such goods from somewhere."

Malak asked, "And what sort of _goods_ do you provide him with? Or is it services?"

"I have a manufacturing facility that produces armor. I have a deal with Pollard to private label the armor with Czerka's name. So far, I've been the only manufacturer capable of keeping up with the demand."

Revan narrowed her eyes. "Why is that?"

Quinn shrugged. "It's hard to say, really."

Revan had a good idea as to what kept other manufacturers one step behind. "Not to change the subject, or anything. But how is it you never made it to Telos?"

Quinn chuckled. "Telos? Me?" He shook his head. "I'm not a farmer, Master Jedi. I can assure you of that."

"So you returned to your mother instead?" she asked.

The older man smiled knowingly. "Yes." He leaned forward to pour three glasses of an amber substance from a decanter on the table between them. Malak refused, but Revan accepted. Quinn continued. "You'll have to excuse my mother, Jedi Revan. Her opinion of Jedi is rather low."

"So I've gathered," she mumbled before taking a sip from her glass.

Malak asked, "Do you still practice your Jedi teachings?"

"Meditations, mostly. I never was able to harness the Force in ways the other students were. Perhaps I didn't care as much." He paused to take a sip from his drink and then added with a smirk, "Perhaps I wasn't cut out to be a Jedi." He set his drink back down on the table and continued, "To be honest, my strengths lie in perceptions. It's an ability that has helped tremendously in my business dealings."

Malak scoffed in distaste, "Mind manipulation to suit your needs?"

With a half smile, Quinn asked, "You don't approve, Jedi Malak?"

"I would say that borders a little too close to the dark side," Malak responded.

Quinn sighed, "It is what it is."

Revan could sense Malak's impatience. It was usually the other way around, but he hated playing games. And Quinn was quite the player.

She did a tentative probe throughout to see how many people Quinn had on staff. She stated, "I sense other fairly strong Force signatures here. Two, I believe. One would be the boy, but the other…" She trailed off as she concentrated on the other presence. _Definitely dark_.

"That would be Fonaq, my assistant. He was a troubled boy. But I took him in and gave him a job. He's turned out to be one of my most trusted."

"Can I meet him?" Revan asked.

Quinn smiled regretfully. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. He's preparing for a business trip and really can't be disturbed." He leaned forward and set his glass on the table. "And frankly, it's getting late. Although I've enjoyed this unexpected visit, I have a busy day tomorrow." He and Revan stood. He motioned for the door. "Please, you may use the main entrance for a more civilized exit."

Quinn led the Jedi through the well-decorated stone corridors toward the main entrance. On the way, he stopped by a room that housed many artifacts. Upon entering, the three encountered a pink-skinned woman with vibrant pink hair. She wore a skin-tight outfit with a bright, swirling design that clearly defined her curves. The top of the outfit cut away to reveal a substantial amount of cleavage. There was no missing the Zeltron, and Malak didn't even try.

Revan walked around the room with Quinn and admired his collection. When the two Jedi were on opposite ends of the room, Quinn reached for Revan's hand. She jerked it away at first, but then stilled when she realized he was giving her something.

"This wasn't much use to me. Perhaps it will be to someone more powerful… like yourself," he said.

She looked down to see a holocron resting in the palm of her hand. It wasn't like any of the others she'd seen in the archives. And the aura it emitted was undoubtedly dark. The energy pulsed through her palm out to her fingertips and up her arm. She looked back at Quinn, who had been watching her closely. "And the price?" she asked.

"A gift of friendship," he stated.

She heard a giggle come from across the room. She glanced over in time to see Malak fishing something from between the woman's ample bosom.

She looked up at Quinn who watched the pair with an amused expression. He turned his attention back to Revan and said, "It looks like Dalia has made a new friend." The Jedi knew there was no jealousy in Quinn's words. Anyone pairing with a Zeltron had no intentions of remaining monogamous. It seemed the perfect match for someone like Quinn.

Revan smiled. "Indeed." Revan briefly recalled their first and last mission to Zeltros. Malak had been like a gizka in heat. As Jedi, they had the ability to diminish their reactions to the specie's pheromones. However, Malak had chosen not to. The man had walked funny for an entire week after that trip. But not to say Revan didn't have fun. She partied every night and the Zeltron women taught her dance moves she didn't think were possible.

She slipped the holocron into her pocket before returning to Malak. He gave her a questioning look, but said nothing. He and Dalia said their goodbyes and the Jedi continued their journey to the outer doors.

At the exit into the courtyard of the estate, Quinn said, "Oh, there is just one thing I was wondering."

The two Jedi looked at him expectantly. He turned to Revan. "Just last week, you were having lunch with another Knight."

Malak tensed enough for Quinn to notice. The older man chuckled, "No, not Jedi Roon. That's an entirely different conversation all together, isn't it?"

Malak didn't match Quinn's humor. But Quinn continued to address Revan. "This one was female. Quite stunning, in fact. Her hair…" He looked off in thought with a smile playing upon his lips. "It was pure white, but thick and lustrous."

Revan glanced at Malak with uncertainty. He returned a wary look. Revan asked, "What about her?"

Quinn snapped out of his wistfulness and looked at her as if it were obvious. "Who was she?"

Revan tried to contain her laugh as she thought of this man that teetered on the edge of darkness having a crush on Miss Jedi herself. "Her name is Atris."

"Atris," Quinn repeated as he let the name roll across his tongue. He smiled broadly. "Thank you."

* * *

The two Jedi sat in the cockpit of the ship working through the take-off procedure. Quinn had claimed to have air defense systems in place. Therefore, the Jedi were required to request clearance before disembarking. Whether it was necessary was unknown, but Revan had insisted on playing along. 

Malak said, "So are you going to tell me what's in your pocket?"

Revan shrugged. "I don't know what it is."

Not convinced, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What do you mean you don't know what it is? Force, Revan, I can feel the taint from here."

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him questioningly. "You can?"

Malak was incredulous. "You can't!"

She snorted, "Well, yes, but I'm blocking it and I didn't realize it reached that far."

She moved over to the nav-console to work on entering their coordinates back to the Core. Malak waited for her to say more and when she didn't, he asked, "Are you going to look at it?"

She sighed. "I suppose I will when I have time to do so. But right now is not the time."

He received the departure code and passed it on to her to enter into the system. "Aren't you curious?"

"Hell yes I'm curious, but I'm fairly certain I'm going to need to be in a controlled environment before I attempt to examine it."

Her aloofness drove him nuts. The direct approach always did serve him best. "Are you planning on including me?"

She didn't answer, which he knew to mean no. Before initiating lift-off, he attempted to block the presence of whatever it was she had stashed away. But he was not completely successful. As long as she put it somewhere else during their travels, he would be able to manage. But it was just one more reason to dislike Taren Quinn.

* * *

They weren't on Coruscant for twenty minutes before Revan insisted on going over to Fleet Headquarters to find out what all had gone on while she was away. Malak accompanied her. However, once there, Revan encountered Minister of Defense Challaun. He was there for a debriefing with Fleet Admiral Hanstadt and a handful of other Fleet officers. Malak waited while Revan was invited to join the meeting. 

It wasn't the first time Revan had been in such a high profile meeting. In fact, the Fleet had included her on many occasions to add an extra insight to the war that members of the Jedi Council were unwilling to provide.

Once inside the meeting, the primary topic of discussion was the rescue of civilians on the planet Serroco.

Admiral Shinst stated, "We have determined a large scale evacuation will be possible in four standard days. The issue at hand would be coordinating the rescue operations. The First Patriarch is, of course, most concerned with the safety of his people and whether we can provide them with necessary reinforcements. I propose the appropriation of three armed troop transports with a fighter battalion to provide cover."

Admiral Pasch said, "I don't see how we can spare the transports at this time. Certainly not three."

Shinst continued, "The First Patriarch is understandably insistent that we provide all that he requires. After all, he did extend the hospitality to our troops that caused this in the first place."

Revan sent a datapad to an aide requesting access to the information concerning this "hospitality." The aide complied and Revan was given the report on the events leading up to the attack on Serroco. She kept a part of her concentration on the conversation around the room while she perused the data. It appeared Republic troops constructed a base of operations on the planet. Therefore, the attack wasn't on Serroco itself, but on the Republic.

The other occupants in the room were in a heated debate over the efficiency of their resource usage. The conversation drifted a few times to the relative sanity of the First Patriarch himself. Shinst supported Lelin-Dor whole heartedly. Revan did sympathize with the Serroco leader, but that didn't take place of best practices.

After reading the report, Revan had an idea. "I think it would be better to send in civilian transports to retrieve the survivors."

Shinst spoke to her as if she were a child, "This is a rescue mission, Jedi Revan, not a suicide mission." She never did like that guy.

Revan stood her ground. "Well if that's the case, I believe _you_ have it mixed up. I don't believe the Mandalorians are going to attack an unarmed vessel –"

Shinst interrupted, "The Mandalorians have proven their savagery over and over again. If you cannot see that, then you serve no purpose in these sessions."

Revan raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Admiral, you seem to be taking orders from Lelin-Dor, a person who is operating on pure emotion. If you cannot see the danger in _that_, your effectiveness is somewhat questionable in itself." Revan could feel the unease among the other attendees.

The Admiral's eyes grew wide. "I beg your pardon. Obviously the Jedi have nothing to offer in the way of resources or wisdom. Your presence in these meetings will no longer be necessary."

Shinst was an ass. But he seemed to hold Handstadt's ear at the moment. Obviously the man had proven himself in the time she had been gone. Revan had had issues with Shinst ever since she first started work on the Lianna agreement. He had a very poor opinion of Jedi for their lack of involvement in the Republic's time of need. She couldn't really blame him, but was rather tired of taking the brunt of his frustration. In light of the apparent shift in power, she had no doubt Shinst would be sure to exclude her from any future involvement.

As she sat through the rest of the debriefing, the thought infuriated her more and more. First she was held back from joining the war by the Council. Now she was being kept at bay by some sniveling Rear Admiral waiting for a promotion.

She had hoped to speak to Minister of Defense Challaun after the meeting. However, Shinst pushed his way in before she had a chance.

Malak came along side of her. "How did it go?"

Revan waited a moment before responding. "We're running out of options, Mal."

Three years from now, the other attendees of the debriefing would look back on this day as the day Admiral Shinst had sealed his fate.

* * *

Jek knew Revan was scheduled to return earlier in the day. He was anxious to speak with her. He had no idea how long Malak would be around. Although he didn't like it, he had to approach her with Tall Bastard at her side. 

When he spotted them entering the Temple from the promenade, he moved to meet them half-way down the central corridor. He nodded to Malak, but addressed Revan. "Welcome back. I've been trying to contact you since you arrived."

She didn't look happy. In fact, something was definitely wrong. She said tightly, "I was in a debriefing with the Minister of Defense."

Jek figured he'd ask more on that later since it seemed to be a touchy subject. The three began to walk together. "Did you meet with Quinn?"

Revan nodded. "Yes, we did. No bloodshed. The man was actually quite charming."

Malak gave her a look of disbelief. "Charming?" He scoffed, "What is it with you and guys I can't stand?"

Jek tensed and flashed the taller Jedi a look of contempt. Jek continued, "Senator Krishon has requested your assistance. There was an attack on a Vratix research facility. There were no survivors. The Senator specifically requested you for the investigation. I guess between the rough terrain and the wildlife, they were reluctant to send anyone else. The Council seemed more than willing to grant permission."

Revan laughed sardonically, "I'm sure they were." She sighed, "Fine, when do we go?"

"I was waiting to speak with you before completing the preparations. We can go first thing in the morning if you'd like." Jek ignored the scathing look he received from Malak.

Revan asked, "Can it wait until 0930? I need to check on a few things before we go."

Jek nodded.

Malak asked Jek directly, "Wait a minute. Did the Senator ask for you as well?"

Alarms went off inside Jek's head as he considered Malak's question. He shook his head, "No, he didn't."

Malak looked at Revan, "I don't have to be back on Dantooine for two weeks. I can go with you. I'm sure the Senator would want to have the best available."

As a Jedi, Jek had learned to release his frustration into the Force. But it built up so quickly when around Malak, he found it hard to keep up. "I think I can handle the assignment, Malak," Jek bit out.

The two men stopped to face each other. Malak tilted his head to the side and challenged, "Are you sure, Jek? It could get dangerous. Revan would need someone capable of watching her back."

Malak was baiting him and Jek knew it. However, the knowledge did nothing to stop Jek from rising to it. "I've watched her back plenty of times."

Malak's right eye twitched at Jek's response. He then formed a sinister grin and said, "Yes, but I'm talking about in a fight, not between the sheets."

Jek's irritation spiked as he clenched his fists. He glanced over at Revan to discern her reaction, only to find her gone. Both Jedi glanced around to locate the missing woman.

When they realized she had gone on without them, Malak took the opportunity to speak his mind to Jek. "Face it, Roon, you're out of your league. One day she's going to realize what a weak and pathetic waste you are. When she does, she's not going to want anything to do with you." With that, Malak turned on his heel and walked away.

The words struck a chord that ran deep inside of Jek. As he lay alone in his bed that night, he wondered if being with Revan was worth putting up with Malak.

* * *

When Malak returned to Revan's quarters, she was sitting on the floor surrounded by a series of datapads. She was sure she could find enough information to convince Admiral Handstadt to reconsider the troop transports for Serroco's evacuation. She just had to find the reports to support her opinion. 

Malak started pacing around the room in an obvious attempt to get her attention. She'd had other things to worry about than words exchanged between the two men. So when they stopped walking, she didn't bother. She was quite sure nothing good would come out of it either way.

Malak was apparently tired of waiting. "Krishon doesn't even like Jek."

Revan wasn't sure if that was entirely true. "He may not like him, but he trusts him."

Malak stopped his pacing and gave her a stricken look. "You don't think Krishon trusts me?"

She looked up from the datapad she had started her report on. "Are you kidding? After the entire incident with his daughter?"

Malak defended, "What was I supposed to do? Say NO?"

She could barely contain her laughter. "Yes."

He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. She shook her head and returned to the data in front of her. After a few moments, he sat on his haunches in front of her to get her complete attention. She really needed to get this report done before she left and he wasn't making it easy.

He began, "Look, this isn't about… whatever the hell is going on between you two." He gave her a pointed look anyway and her mood darkened. Who did he think he was trying to fool?

Malak continued, "He's not as strong as I am and you know there's a chance things could get rough. I've been there. The predators may avoid the Vratix, but we both know they'll attack humans without hesitation." It was true. Their last trip to Thyferra had proven that when Revan was attacked by a vine cat. There had also been reports of presumed rancor sightings.

She said nothing and entered a few references from a report on Althir. The only thing Malak was going to accomplish was pissing her off. He should know that by now. He growled as he shot back up and started pacing again. He stopped by the window and turned around to ask, "I mean, what's going on with you?"

She rolled her eyes. Trying to keep the patronization out of her tone, she said, "Nothing is going on with me, Malak. Krishon trusts Jek. It's not about what I want."

"It's not?" he scoffed. He switched to an accusatory tone. "When you saw him today, you closed off our bond faster than anything I've witnessed."

Her irritation grew. She stated, "I'm not talking about this with you."

He threw out his arms and said, "And _that's_ the problem. You talk to me about _everything_ else. I know every detail of your life since you were born. But you don't talk to me about him. You keep him behind a wall that you don't give me access to. Why?"

She remained silent. She inwardly refused to talk about Jek with Malak. It was something she'd maybe think more on later, but for now she had other things to worry about. He stood waiting for her answer. It was futile, really. His irritation flowed freely, but she detected his awareness that she would not discuss it.

He came over and resumed his previous position in front of her. She didn't bother to acknowledge him. His voice was softer and she supposed it was an attempt to show true concern. "You're sure he can handle it?"

"Yes."

He reached forward to take hold of her arm. "Seriously, Revan."

_Force!_ She snapped, "Yes, damnit! He can handle it."

She glared at him until he slowly released her arm. He did not attempt to hide his anger. Somehow she had a way of bringing it out in him. Without another word, he got up and retired to the sleeping chamber.

Finally she would be able to work on this report. It might take all night, but she felt it was worth it. The Mandalorians would see no challenge in attacking an unarmed ship full of civilians. However, a full squadron of starfighters covering armed transports would present a worthy adversary. She could only hope the Fleet Admiral would have the opportunity to look over her report without any outside influences.

* * *

Since the Jedi weren't involved in the war effort, their services to the Republic remained in full force. It was truly the only valid point made by the Council. The Jedi were enforcers of peace and justice. Who would be left to assist people of the galaxy if the Jedi were to leave? 

Jek had made all the arrangements for the trip to Thyferra the day before. He was confident Revan would want to assist the Senator. Besides, lately she was a little easier to be around when she was not on Coruscant. The tension of the war increased her frustration on a daily basis. Her inability to do something was based entirely on the hindrance of others. If there's one thing he had learned about Revan, it was that she hated not being in control. And she usually didn't stay that way for long.

A shuttle class vessel was prepared for the trip to Thyferra. Jek waited for her at the docking bay. He still wasn't completely convinced he was going on the mission. He never had spoken to Revan again the night before. And Malak made it quite clear he didn't approve. It wasn't that Jek expected him to. The tension between him and Malak had intensified on a grand scale in the past couple of months.

So as Jek waited for Revan's arrival, he contemplated the strange feeling he had in his gut... anticipation. The feeling of anticipation in itself was hope overshadowed by the fear of disappointment. He supposed to some the feeling would be quite exciting. To a Jedi, it was disconcerting. More and more, he'd come to realize why Jedi should avoid emotional attachment.

Revan showed up at the docking bay at 0945… alone. Jek couldn't help but feel relieved. The brief feeling of elation he felt upon seeing her almost made the anticipation worth bearing. _Nothing but a thrill ride,_ he thought.

Revan was unusually quiet. He waited until the jump to hyperspace to ask her about it. The only thing he could gather through the Force was fatigue. "You seem very tired."

She stifled a yawn that turned into a faint smile. "Just a little." She stretched her feet out in front of her and raised her arms over her head in a long stretch. "I spent the night working on a report for Admiral Handstadt."

"You didn't seem too pleased with the meeting yesterday when I saw you," he said.

She was quiet for a moment before she took a deep breath. "Shinst."

"Oh," he replied quietly. Revan had been butting heads with Admiral Shinst since she first became involved with the Fleet. Shinst felt the Jedi should have assisted the Republic immediately after the start of the war. He viewed Revan's involvement as a half-hearted attempt by the Council to keep amends while watching the Republic fail. For Revan's part, she didn't like the man. She felt he persistently made bad decisions that impacted far too many people.

"I have a feeling I won't be spending much more time at Fleet Headquarters. At least… not as an invited participant." The two stood to leave the cockpit.

"He finally got his way?" Jek asked as they entered the common area.

"I think so," she replied in a defeated tone. She pulled a datapad from the bag she had tossed into a footlocker earlier. "I made a copy of my report if you'd like to look over it. It gets kind of sketchy at the end, but it was getting late. Basically it just goes over my recommendations for evacuating Serroco."

Jek smiled to himself. He'd spoken to Minister Challaun just a few days before. The Minister had hinted that Revan's effectiveness would be much better facilitated along the front. In Coruscant, she was among people vying for power. She had started to stand out as a possible threat when she openly doubted the opinions of high ranking officials and politicians.

"I met with the Council this morning," she said.

She'd had many meetings with the Council. All ended the same. "What did they say?" Jek found a seat on the accelerator couch. She continued to walk around aimlessly

She chuckled. "Same thing as always. Except this time it was added with a stern warning that we won't speak of it again." She ended her statement with mock regality. "Regardless, volunteering is not an option." She paused and wavered a moment and then seemed to make an attempt to release her fatigue into the Force. It didn't appear to work. "They want me to take on a Padawan." She shook her head and then said in a dismissive tone, "They think my desire to help in the conflict is really my own restlessness that can be filled by having something else to occupy my time." She harrumphed.

He grabbed her hand as she walked by and pulled her onto his lap. She didn't resist and rested her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed. Jek wasn't used to seeing her like this. She was normally incredibly determined and unwilling to let anything stop her. However, this time she was thwarted on both fronts. She seemed… deflated.

She let out a big yawn and before it was complete said, "The only good news is Master Dorak will reconsider my request for archive access on Dantooine after we get back."

"How long has it been since you've meditated?" he asked quietly.

She mumbled something before saying, "A week maybe."

_A week?_ No wonder she was like this. "We can talk about this later," he whispered as he kissed her forehead. "You need to sleep."

"Mmn," was all she said before he realized she was already sleeping.

* * *

Upon arrival on Thyferra, Revan and Jek were given more details of the investigation. Truth be told, the attack had happened in such a remote area that virtually nothing was known about it. The Vratix themselves were still mourning the loss of their brethren and the only human at the station had been killed as well. 

Due to its remote nature in the middle of the planet's rain forest region, access by speeder was not possible. Instead, the Senator offered banthas to transport the Jedi and any supplies they would need. The journey to the facility would take two to three days.

As a Jedi, there were many things Jek had learned to overcome. However, being rained on for several days in a row was something he'd found to dislike. Their clothes had soaked through sometime during the first day. They found a spot to camp the first night, but it was not enough time to dry the cloaks they had worn.

Midway through the second day, Jek felt miserable. Their heads were covered with the hoods of their cloaks and they had barely spoken since they'd broken camp.

He could faintly hear her say something about getting over his misery, "…because if I have to go the rest of this trip in total silence, I'll go insane."

He had to chuckle at that, knowing it was true. He couldn't imagine her going a whole day without talking. It's not that she talked too much… she just enjoyed discussions on whatever it was her mind could possibly churn up for the day.

He looked up at her. The hood of her cloak was thrown back and her face pointed to the sky with her eyes closed. Raindrops splashed upon her features and flowed back through her hair. A satisfied smile graced her lips as she reveled in the feel of the rain. He watched her for a few moments with a soft smile upon his face. She lifted her head to look at him with a wide smile. Her face glistened and her green eyes sparkled under rain soaked lashes. His breath hitched in his throat as he realized something he had tried to deny for the past several months - he was in love with her. The feeling would have otherwise frightened him, but at that very moment…

Her eyes danced with merriment. "Give it a try."

He didn't hesitate and pushed back his hood. He tilted his face towards the sky and felt the soft drops cool his face. He heard her say, "Untie your hair."

He let out a throaty laugh, knowing how much she liked his hair down. He untied it and loosened it with his fingers. He swayed back and forth on the beast as he wondered at how she could bring him from misery to bliss in a matter of moments. He lifted his head and looked over at her. Her hair was drenched and long black curls fell into her face.

Without much thought, he pulled up his reigns to stop the bantha. She looked at him curiously and stopped hers as well. He got off the beast and grabbed his and her reigns together to tie both to a tree. He walked over to her and raised a hand to help her down from hers. He wrapped his arms around her as soon as she descended. Before giving her any time to ask questions, he kissed her soundly.

And in the middle of a rainforest, hours away from anywhere, he made love to her. They joined together upon the leaves of the forest floor… where nobody existed except for the two of them.

He spent the next few days learning things about her he never knew before; some good, some bad. They spent a week in the human researcher's modest quarters, reviewing video feeds and any other evidence they could find as to what had occurred there. In doing that, he realized the further extent of her powers and how frightening they could be.

Revan had been going through the footage of the attack just before the feed was destroyed. "Hmm," she murmured.

"What is it?" Jek asked as he moved behind her to peer over her shoulder.

She leaned back and crossed one arm over her chest as she ran a fingertip along her lower lip. "In the time since we left Xozhixi, have you seen any lightning out here?"

Jek thought about it a moment and then shook his head. "No, I haven't."

She entered a command into the console and it replayed the last moments again. "There," she pointed, "did you see it?"

He did indeed see what appeared to be lightning. "Have you checked the weather logs?"

She chuckled, "You mean the ones that say, '_It's still raining_'?

He smiled and studied the replay again. "That's not normal lightning."

Revan agreed, "It's Force lightning."

Jek paused and looked down at her. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

And she did in fact prove it the next day. Without the Vratix presence around the facility, the wildlife had been quite active. Fighting off an attack from one beast or another had been a daily occurrence. On this day, it was with one of the many cat-like creatures that had been becoming more frequent throughout the week. Revan called them vine cats.

Every day the cats had come closer to the small facility. The banthas were most likely what had drawn them in. The Jedi had placed sensors around the facility to alert them when the proximity had been breached. When the alarm sounded, both Jedi drew their weapons as they searched for the intruder.

They weren't happy when they found five vine cats surrounding the two banthas. The cats had become bold and were not frightened away by the presence of the Jedi. Jek yelled out to get the cats' attention as he and Revan approached. It went ignored as the cats attacked their prey.

Both Jedi leapt into action and lashed out at the cats in order to remove them from the banthas. The beasts howled in mournful wails as the razor sharp claws dug into their tough exteriors.

Revan jumped on the bantha with three cats attached to it and swung her lightsaber in a sweeping motion in an attempt to dislodge the predators. She succeeded in freeing the animals from the banthas, but then their attention turned to Jek. He stepped back as one of the cats made two side steps before springing towards him. The Jedi landed a booted foot into the animal's chest just as it started to pounce. The cat screeched, but was not deterred. It quickly regained its balance and jumped at Jek again. He swung his blade to slash through the front left shoulder of the cat.

The other cats tried to use the bantha as leverage to reach Revan. She jumped over one cat's head to land behind him. She swiveled around and planted her lightsaber deep within the cat. The creature yowled an eerily human-like wail before falling to the ground.

Revan began working on keeping the banthas free of fatal injuries. She had managed to dispose of a third cat, but the fourth was being particularly coy with her. Jek was ready to jump to her assistance when the last of the cats noticed him.

The cat approached him in a slow prowl. Jek slowly walked backwards as the cat moved closer. Between the Force and the telltale twitch in the animal's legs, Jek was ready when the cat sprang into action. He brought his lightsaber to bear when the cat seemed frozen in mid air, surrounded by blue light that attacked it viciously. Jek looked in disbelief towards Revan, the source of the stream of electricity. The animal dropped to the ground where it lay lifeless, its fur singed and smoking.

His heart pounded in his chest, whether from the fight with the vine cats or the shock of what he'd just witnessed, he couldn't be sure. If she noticed his reaction, she didn't make any move to acknowledge it.

"Notice the difference in trajectory and encompassment," she said as she studied the corpse.

Jek blinked. "What?" he rasped.

"Don't you see the similarities to the video?" she asked.

He couldn't find any words over the sick feeling rolling in his stomach and the bile he had to force down. There were so many emotions roiling through him at once, fear being one of them. He looked at her sadly. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Where did you learn how to do that?"

She shrugged as she gathered various items they had dropped during the attack. "I can teach you if you'd like."

_Teach me?_ He gasped, "No, Revan."

She stopped and turned to face him. He didn't react fast enough to put his mental shields in place.

She let out an exasperated breath. "What?"

He pointed to the still smoking creature. "You used the Force to inflict harm. You don't see anything wrong with that?"

She defended, "I used the Force in a practical matter to demonstrate a theory."

He shook his head. "But you still killed it."

Revan scoffed, "I'm fairly certain we would have killed him anyway. I mean, you were just about to run it through with your lightsaber."

"It's not the same."

"From your point of view." She cocked her head to the side and added with a hint of sarcasm, "So did you see the similarities, or would you like me to demonstrate on another?"

Jek clenched his jaw before turning to leave. They worked separately for the rest of the day. Jek used that time to disentangle his feelings. Acts like today shed light on something that had been there all along. Whether he was blind to it or chose not to see it was unknown. But all it managed to do was reconfirm a growing fear.

As a Jedi, he had the ability to know her on a different, more basic level. Two entwined lovers were more likely to open up their souls to each other, and in doing that, could see things they didn't necessarily want to see. Like when the end is coming. He'd often felt as if he were savoring every last moment they had.

Therefore, later that night he returned to her. They sat together on a nest of various blankets they had collected in front of the fire. He wondered at what point the feeling of her in his arms had become so natural. Her body formed to his and he inhaled her familiar scent. He sighed deeply… and held tighter.


	5. Peace Is A Lie

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Lucas and Bioware. I'm not making any money from this.

* * *

Reports of all sorts had flooded into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant regarding the Mandalorian impact on the galaxy. The culmination of these reports made one thing clear – the Jedi could not afford to consult on the matter any longer. As news spread quickly throughout the Temple, Revan used the momentum to take a stand. She'd been reluctant, at first, to take the lead. But in a private meeting held shortly after hers and Jek's return from Thyferra, a group of nine Jedi had decided she would lead the movement on Coruscant while Malak rounded up support on Dantooine. Both were very powerful and respected by many. Therefore, they had been the logical choice.

There was only so much time the Order could withstand such open disobedience, so they had to move fast. Unfortunately, that didn't leave much time for everyone with intent to join the war to finish their affairs. For all Jedi on missions, wanting to join the war meant finding resolutions to their current investigations.

The fact that both Manaan and Thyferra had incidents, that if successful, would benefit Czerka Corporation did not go unnoticed by Revan and Jek. Czerka undoubtedly wanted some way into the Manaan market. However, the Selkath were very strict on maintaining control of their kolto. As a backup, the Vratix research on their own healing substance would be very valuable if Czerka could find the resources to move it along more quickly. As it stood, Czerka was out of the loop as far as healing substances were concerned. And during a time of war, that was a bad spot to be in.

The evidence of Force Lightening at the research facility made Revan even more curious about Quinn's assistant, Fonaq. He very well could be the key to a good deal of the happenings on Manaan and Thyferra. But did they have enough evidence to make public accusations? The Jedi didn't think so. Time was running out, and although justice for any wrong-doing was important, it was more important for the Jedi to join the war.

There were many factors still to be considered in preparation for their departure to war, one of those being their own livelihood. The Order had always financed any Jedi actions. Jedi themselves required nothing in the way of material possessions. However, without the Order, the Jedi joining the war would not have the financial backing for the necessities to survive such as food and shelter. With the mass inclusion of Jedi among the ranks, the Republic would have to consider the financial burden. Revan and Jek's first order of business, therefore, was to work up a proposal for acceptance by the Senate. Unfortunately, getting it passed would be a difficult task. There was one key Senator they would need on their side to get the necessary approval. Although Senator Krishon had felt indebted to Revan in the past, the feeling didn't run quite as deep as his friendship with certain members of the High Council. It would be extremely difficult to convince him to go against the Council.

Those were some of the many thoughts running through Revan's mind as she stood at the window in her quarters within the Temple. She stared out at the city before her. The sun was setting and cast a glorious orange glow that reflected off of everything in sight. Coruscant was an exciting place. There was always something new to find; something new to learn. And she had loved growing up on it. Dantooine had been nice to visit, but she eventually would have become restless there. She never thought she'd feel that way about Coruscant. Yet here she was, ready to go. Two more ships were due to arrive in a few weeks. That was the goal she'd set for their departure.

In the distance, she could see the mushroom shape of the new Senate building. She looked in the direction of Fleet Headquarters. It wouldn't be long before it would no longer be easily spotted along the Coruscant skyline. She'd read a report that Admiral Handstadt had disregarded her proposal and sent two military transports to evacuate the people of Serroco. Mandalorian scout ships spotted the entourage of starfighters, and within hours, the survivors had been captured. Revan couldn't help but wonder if the Jedi involvement would be futile while leaders such as Admiral Shinst stood in the way of victory. The Republic needed someone smarter than that.

Revan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. If thoughts of the war weren't enough, there was always Jek. She didn't know at what point things had become so complicated with him. The realization of it hadn't even struck her until their recent mission to Thyferra. She and Jek had had a disagreement. Then he'd refused to talk to her for the rest of the day. She hadn't liked it much. At first she was irritated at him for being so short-sighted and not understanding her practical use of the Force. But as the day went on, she'd had more time to think about Jek. The unique thing about him was the purity of the lightness within him. It was that light that repelled any darkness, regardless of its intent. She smiled to herself as the last rays of the sun shown upon her face before fading away. She hoped he would never change.

The door to her quarters slid open and Malak walked in. Master Sypian had allowed Malak to speak to the students in his Advanced Lightsaber session. He turned up the lights and noticed her standing by the window. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Jek's on his way over and the three of us are going to discuss this case so we can get it over with," she explained.

Malak sighed heavily. "Fine."

He disappeared into the sleeping chamber. Malak's irritation with Jek had become another issue Revan found herself pondering. She wondered how they would all work together on the bigger picture if those two couldn't even stand to be in the same room.

He came back out of the sleeping chamber without his outer robe and went to the dispenser for a drink. She asked him, "How did your speech go?"

He took a sip of his drink and leaned up against the dispenser. "Very good. They had a lot of questions. I answered what I could and told them the rest would be answered at your next session."

"Did you make me a list?" she asked.

He nodded. "Numa is putting one together."

She already knew the answer, but she had to ask, "And Sypian?"

Malak shook his head. "He won't go against the rest of the Council."

Revan let out an exasperated breath. "Even though he believes what we're doing is right?"

"Yes. But he is willing to help however he can otherwise," he explained.

Revan crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "He's a lightsaber master. He can help by coming with us."

There was a chime at the door. Even though Malak stood right next to it, he walked over to the couch and took a seat. Revan rolled her eyes and went to the door to let Jek in.

Jek had a nice smile on his face when he walked through the doorway. However, it quickly faded when he spotted Malak resting on the couch. He grumbled sarcastically under his breath, "Thanks for the heads up." She smiled sweetly as they sat down at the small table in front of the couch. So maybe she hadn't mentioned it would be the three of them.

Malak and Jek exchanged cordial greetings. Revan asked, "Where do we stand on funding?"

Jek said, "Nobody's offering up anything."

"Did you work on the proposal?" she asked.

Jek handed her a datapad for her to study. She looked over it briefly. Jek said, "It's hard to give them numbers based on what we have so far. At this point, we have no idea how many Jedi will go."

Revan agreed. "We'll have to give them a large enough number to cover. The truth is, we won't know until we leave. And even then, some may come afterwards."

Looking up from the datapad, she stated, "We need to talk to Senator Krishon. If he were to announce his full support to the Senate, plans for deployment would be initiated immediately. I know it's a long shot, but I think it's worth a try."

Both men set down their datapads and looked at her doubtfully. Malak said, "Krishon? There's no way he'll do it."

Revan shrugged, "Why not?"

Jek reminded her, "Revan, the man has pictures of him and Master Vrook on the wall of his office. No matter how much he likes you, he won't go against Vrook and the High Council."

Malak shook his head and said, "You have to pick someone else."

This was odd. Malak and Jek were agreeing… and not with her. Revan explained, "No other single person will have the same impact and we're running out of time."

Malak said, "Exactly. You can't be wasting it on Krishon."

Jek added, "Nobody's denying the impact he'd have, Revan. But Malak's right, we should be using our time on more probable prospects."

Revan frowned, but held firm. "We need to meet with him regarding our investigation, anyway. We'll discuss it with him then."

Both men wanted to say more, but she cut them off. "We'll also need to work with the Fleet on proper placement. We need to have a good understanding of who can best be used where. For instance, Silas already said he'd like to start on the supply lines. Some may be more effective away from the front. But, we probably won't be able to figure a lot of that out until we get out there."

Jek added, "We can get an idea for general placement, though."

All three scrolled through their notes for a few minutes. Then Revan asked, "What's the status on Manaan?"

Malak replied, "If we can get a subpoena on Quinn and his guy, I'm certain Mapa would be willing to identify who contacted him."

Revan looked at him doubtfully and said, "That's not an easy request. And even still, if you're going to go through the trouble of getting Quinn, you wouldn't be able to stop until you got to Czerka."

"What's your point?" Malak asked.

"Time," Jek offered, though Revan could sense he didn't agree.

Malak thought about that. "You're saying we drop the investigation?"

Revan shrugged slightly. "You've already given them the assassin. Manaan will be happy with that outcome."

"Mapa will be put to death, Revan," Malak insisted.

Revan sighed, "Well, he did attempt to kill the judge, right?"

Malak struggled for the words, but Revan added, "You know he's not innocent. The best you'll be able to get for him is a chance three judges will give him life in prison instead. You already know Duula's going to push for death. And he's the one you have the most influence on. Are you going to be able to talk him into changing his mind?"

Malak paused to process his answer. It was clear he didn't agree. With a bit of annoyance, Revan thought,_ What is up with these two tonight?_

Jek suggested, "Why don't we wait until we talk to Krishon? Maybe he has more information that will help both cases."

Malak scoffed, "He won't have anything. When it comes down to it, I doubt the man really cares."

He had a point. Krishon never had been overly concerned about the Vratix and he often times underestimated the potential for their research. But the Vratix were not politicians. Therefore, Krishon was necessary. He just needed to understand the value of their studies in order to better protect it.

Jek said, "Krishon will be back on-planet in three days. We'll talk to him then."

In a perfect situation, she would have liked to see justice carried out to completion. But bringing the president of Czerka Corporation down in the middle of a galaxy-wide war could also have an impact on the front. Malak didn't seem ready for that reasoning yet, so she let it drop for the time being.

The three Jedi finished up the last of their remaining items. Revan and Malak ended things in that no-talking mood they'd learned had saved their friendship many times before. He left for Dantooine shortly after. Jek hadn't been all that pleased with what he considered to be an unproductive meeting either. She had to admit both men had valid points. But all she could concern herself with at the moment was getting the funding. Anything else would have to wait a few more days to be resolved, anyway.

She looked up from her position next to the table. The holocron she received from Taren Quinn sat as yet untouched in a box that now rested on her shelving unit. Revan had always liked the boxes used for holocron storage in the archives and had acquired one for her own safe-keeping of crystals and other helpful items. 'A gift of friendship', he had called it. And for some reason she could only ascribe to the Force, she didn't question the sincerity of his words. The thought gave her an idea.

* * *

After a few well-placed inquiries, Revan was on her way to the Sah'c District for an evening visit. The area was full of exclusive residences commonly used by off-worlders. The trick was getting into the right one without anyone remembering she'd been there. Good thing she was a Jedi.

The guard escorted her into the simply decorated foyer. He turned to her and said, "Please wait here while I get my master." He bowed respectfully and left her waiting. Revan used the Force and did a tentative probe. Without being too intrusive, she was able to detect Quinn and… the boy. She'd attempted to find more information about Cree, but had come up with very little. There was a door off to the right. Revan sidled up to it and took a quick look around before slipping inside.

The boy was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his back to her when she entered. The well-lit room appeared to be a library of sorts. A computer screen displayed the Allied Tion Sector. But it looked as if the boy had abandoned those kinds of studies. There was a cleaning droid in front of him. Revan noticed it seemed to get a barely perceptible jolt in its circuits before continuing on its routine. Revan watched for a moment and could tell the boy was concentrating heavily on the droid. Another surge went through the droid, but it continued. Cree let out a frustrated sigh. As Revan watched him try again, she could see the undeniable resemblance between Quinn and the boy. However, Cree's strength in the Force seemed a bit stronger than his father's. Though she did question the training he'd been given so far.

She cleared her throat. Cree spun around. His eyes grew wide as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have been. Revan smiled and took a seat on the floor next to him. The boy said nothing, watching her curiously. She focused on the cleaning droid and sent another surge through it that left it motionless for several seconds. "Energy is everywhere. It's only a matter of finding what you can control," she explained.

The boy relaxed and focused on the droid again. His brow knitted together as he searched for what he was looking for. Revan said, "Close your eyes." He did so.

"Let the Force guide you," she instructed.

He sat motionless for a minute and then his eyes shot open in wonder. He immediately focused on the droid. Revan detected the small ripple of energy and then the droid froze for at least two seconds. She felt the excitement emanate from the boy before she saw the huge smile on his face.

Just then, the guard entered the room and Revan and the boy both stood to face him. The man said, "My master is not accepting visitors at this hour. You will have to make an appointment."

That wouldn't do. Revan waved a hand in front of his face and with a touch of the Force said, "Your master will see me now."

The man paused before saying, "My master will see you now."

Revan glanced at Cree and winked. The boy snickered before he joined her in following the guard.

They entered a spacious common room with a wide panel of windows that showcased an excellent view of the city-planet. The room was pleasantly lit with soft lights that reflected off of the beige walls, and a seating area had been arranged in the center. Taren Quinn sat at a desk on the left side of the room studying a computer screen. When he realized he had company, he immediately said, "Rennek, I told you I was not accep –" He stopped when he saw Revan. He must have realized poor Rennek didn't have a choice as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course. Thank you, Rennek. You may go."

He looked past Revan to see the boy standing behind her. "Cree, it's late. Go to your chamber for the night."

"Yes, sir," the boy said with his soft voice.

Revan turned to say, "It was good to see you again, Cree."

The boy bowed in response and said, "And you, Master Jedi." His voice cracked slightly to indicate his age. It was the first he'd spoken to her directly. He quickly turned and disappeared down a hallway.

Quinn stood from his desk and motioned towards the sitting area for Revan to take a seat. He said, "Are you trying to corrupt my son, Jedi Revan? Leading him to believe a trick of the mind can get you whatever you want?"

Revan snorted as she settled into the nerfhide couch, "Trust me, it took more than a trick of the mind to get me up here."

He walked to a counter near the wall and retrieved a decanter. Pouring two glasses, he asked, "And do you always arrive uninvited?"

Revan smiled and said, "I like to catch people off-guard."

"Ahh, an opportunist," he said as if he'd just figured her out.

She shrugged. It wasn't the first time she'd been accused of such things.

He handed her a glass of brandy before taking the seat opposite her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" he asked.

Revan sipped lightly at her drink. Off-handedly, she said, "Your own illegal activities, I suppose." He chuckled at her comment. She continued by saying, "We've been asked to investigate two separate incidents on Manaan and Thyferra. Over the course of the last few months, we've accumulated quite a bit of evidence. Evidence that implicates you, Seario, and Thyferra together in a nice little bundle. One subpoena for you and your protégé to make a court appearance on Manaan and we have another match." She might have embellished the truth a little, but not enough for it to be a lie.

Quinn smirked, "If that were true, you would have already made your arrests."

"Not necessarily," she stated.

He raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

She smiled slightly, but didn't answer. She stood to check out the view from the windows. There was a bit more distance between the row of buildings they were in and the one directly across from them. It made it less stifling than the Senate District. She steeled herself for the delicacy of what she was about to imply. "You may or may not be aware that many Jedi have decided to join the war."

He looked at her skeptically. "And your Council approved?"

She gave a half smile. "Not exactly. Furthermore, without their approval, certain key members of the Senate are reluctant to provide their financial support. It's support we need in order to fully integrate with the Fleet."

Quinn was quiet, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he asked, "What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Absolutely nothing," she stated. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said with a smirk, "But if you'd rather discuss your arrest…"

Quinn studied her for a few moments before getting up from his seat. He stood beside her as they both looked below to watch the traffic flash through the skylanes. He finally said, "Politicians can be quite greedy."

She took a sip from her glass and said, "As can many sentient beings."

Guilty himself, Quinn nodded in agreement. "Whose support do you need?" he asked.

"I've put a lot of thought into that," she stated.

He snorted laughter, "I have no doubt."

_Here goes nothing_, she thought. "It really falls upon one person. One person who has been a staunch supporter of the Council for years… Senator Krishon."

She watched Quinn's reflection in the glass to gauge his reaction. A small smile played upon his lips as he considered her dilemma. His interest was piqued, though he kept his response muted. "From Thyferra?" he asked.

"Indeed. He's head of the Senate appropriations committee. If he would agree to fund the Jedi joining the Fleet, the Senate would surely approve it. Most people want to see the Jedi involved. But Krishon has personal reasons for staying on the side of the Order. There would be no convincing him to take a political stand against the Council," she explained. "I like Krishon, for the most part. I think he's important to his planet. He does, however, seem more concerned with his own personal gain at times when I think he could be benefiting his people."

They stood in silence for a short while. Revan had planted the seeds and it was up to Quinn to decide what to do with them. But he had a good idea of what she wanted, and possibly the resources to help her accomplish it. She turned to Quinn and handed him her glass. "I apologize for voicing my frustrations. I'm sure you have other pressing matters. What I really came to say was to keep an eye out for that subpoena."

She started to walk towards the door. "Should I see myself out?"

Quinn set the glasses down and led her to the exit.

Before leaving, she said, "By the way, you may want to let your friend Pollard know that arms dealers have no business in the way of healing. The two don't quite go together. Disruption of the process in place will not be tolerated. The conflict with the Mandalorians requires full cooperation from the Selkath. Any act against the Selkath at this point will be considered treason, as far as I'm concerned. And I have a personal interest in the safety of the Vratix."

Quinn held an amused expression and said, "I'll pass on the message. But out of curiosity, why haven't you approached him with your accusations?"

She shrugged, "He's on Brentaal IV." It wasn't an answer to his question, though it sounded like one.

She stepped through the doorway, but Quinn called out before she left, "Before you go, have you had a chance to study the gift I gave you?"

She shook her head and answered honestly, "No." It's not that she wasn't curious. She just hadn't had the opportunity. She left Quinn's quarters and returned to the Temple much the same way she had come.

A few days later she received information on a series of fund transfers into various accounts belonging to Senator Krishon. After further study, Revan determined the funds came in some form from Pollard Seario. She did a standard probe to discover the anonymous source of the information, but was actually rather pleased when she came up with nothing. She didn't want to know how Quinn had done it, but the suspicious fund transfer had the potential to be very helpful. It was time to pitch the proposal to Krishon. She and Jek set a meeting for two days later.

* * *

Jek met Revan at the Senate offices. He hadn't seen much of her lately since they were both very busy. They'd managed to spar a few times since their return, but the rest of their time was spent with preparations. Revan had insisted on pitching the proposal to Senator Krishon, though Jek was sure it was a waste of time. Jek briefly wondered if she knew something he didn't. After all, as far as Jek knew, Krishon had been friends with Master Vrook ever since he'd first become Senator.

As usual, the Senator kept them waiting. It reminded Jek of his first meeting with Revan and the Senator. He laughed to himself as he thought of how much had changed since then. He never would have guessed then that she would some day become his lover.

The receptionist interrupted his musings and announced the Senator would see them. When they stood, Revan asked with a curious grin, "What are you smiling about?"

He decided to throw her off guard by giving her a suggestive look. She laughed.

The two Jedi exchanged greetings with the Senator and then took their seats. Revan purposely took the seat furthest away from the wall that held the friendly pictures on it.

Revan began. "Senator, before we get to the business of the attack –."

Apparently the Senator had already heard the news of the proposal. Krishon put his hands up to interrupt her, but she raised hers to let her continue. "Please, Senator, it never hurts to ask."

The older man nodded and said, "Continue."

"As you have heard, many Jedi are planning to assist the Fleet in their efforts against the Mandalorians. It's an act that will go against the advice of the Council. In order for complete success in our endeavor, we'll need the Senate's full support for integration with the Fleet. Considering your history with the Jedi, I understand your reluctance to support those of us embarking on this mission. However, the need to expedite our departure for the defense of the Republic is of the utmost importance. Insuring the financial support of the extra manpower is a concern we'd like to put to rest."

The Senator shook his head. "Surely, Jedi Revan, there are others within the Senate to help you with this matter."

"Nobody could facilitate our efforts as quickly as you could," Revan insisted.

Krishon feigned modesty. "Well, I think you give me and my position far too much credit. But really, you know I can't do what you ask."

To Jek's surprise, Revan conceded, "Very well then." _What? That's her effort?_ Surely she had more in mind than just _that_.

She looked at Jek expectantly. He suppressed his confusion and addressed the Senator. "We spent a great deal of time at the facility and collected a substantial amount of data. We are getting closer in the investigation, but we'll need more time before we can come to any solid conclusions."

Krishon warbled a little and said, "The Vratix have suffered greatly through this tragedy. Although they would like to see the mystery solved, their main concern is for peace. We would like to put this incident behind us and continue with the research. I apologize for any inconvenience and I sincerely thank you for all of your efforts in getting this resolved thus far. However, I think it's best for all to move on."

Jek blinked. Was the Senator telling them to drop it? He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They'd spent all that time on Thyferra for nothing? Why would they ever want to drop it?

Revan sighed regretfully. She looked down to the datapad she held in her lap. "That is most unfortunate, Senator."

Both the Senator and Jek looked at her questioningly. At least Jek knew she was in agreement, but there was obviously more to it. She continued, "You see, our investigation so far has determined a possible initiator of the attack was somehow linked to Czerka Corporation."

Jek noticed the Senator shift in his seat, and felt a wave of discomfort through the Force. It was if Krishon had already known that. Revan leaned forward and handed Krishon the datapad she'd been holding. It was one the Jedi hadn't seen before. Krishon studied the contents of it and Jek watched as the man became quickly alarmed. The Senator looked up at Revan with wide eyes. He immediately took on a defensive tone and said, "This isn't what it looks like."

Jek's own apprehension rose. What was on that datapad?

Revan smiled knowingly. "Sure it is."

The Senator looked back down at the datapad and ran a hand over his face. He sighed deeply and then said, "What would you have me do?"

Revan answered simply, "You _could_ give the credits back to Seario and Jek and I can continue our investigation. _After_, of course, we make a few more stops to see a few other Senators to try and rally their support for our cause."

Jek's head was buzzing with the new information. Had Senator Krishon actually received a bribe from Pollard Seario?

The Senator stood from his chair and walked over to the window. He peered out upon the cityscape while he contemplated his options. "Who else knows about this?" he finally asked.

Revan said, "Jek didn't even know about it until I showed it to you."

The Senator turned half way to glance at Jek, who didn't mask his disappointment. At the sight of Jek's expression, the Senator turned back to the window.

"And if _I_ support the Jedi joining the war?" the Senator questioned.

So that was it. _That_ was her plan. Revan answered with sincerity, "You would have my undying gratitude and continued vigilance over the protection of your planet's resources."

Jek vaguely registered the agreement between Krishon and Revan. He'd lost every last bit of respect he'd had for the older man. The Senator had just proven where his selfish priorities lie. And even more disturbing was that Jek didn't feel much better about Revan at the moment.

He and Revan didn't speak the entire trip back to the Temple. She followed him to his quarters. Once inside, she said, "What?"

"That was an interesting turn of events," Jek stated sharply.

Revan sighed. "We got the support we needed."

"Is that all that matters, Revan?" he asked.

She quickly and definitely answered, "For right now, yes."

Jek was exasperated. "You just blackmailed a Senator, Revan!"

Revan huffed, "Not from my point of view. I mean, it wouldn't really be an issue if he were innocent, would it?"

"What about the Vratix, their research? What about Seario and Quinn? Was it all for nothing?" he demanded.

Revan palmed the door control. Before leaving, she said, "The Republic is at war, Jek. It is what it is."

Meaningless. Why did it mean more to him than it did to her?

* * *

Jek and Revan didn't speak to each other for most of a week. Senator Krishon announced his support for the Jedi joining the war effort. The Council was in an uproar. Jek stayed as far away from Master Vrook as he could. The atmosphere around the Temple changed. There were more debates, more questions, more theories. Everyone was quickly divided into two factions – who would stay and who would not.

Jek had given the exchange with Krishon more thought. In hindsight, he really didn't blame Revan for exploiting the situation. If that was the kind of man Krishon chose to be, then he deserved the scorn he surely had received from members of the Council. In the end, the Jedi leaving had received something extremely valuable. However, the price paid was Pollard Seario and Taren Quinn going free. Without the information from the Thyferra investigation, the case on Manaan had less to pull it together. Chances of getting a subpoena were slim to none. And the current man in custody would remain as charged.

Jek had thought a lot about his situation with Revan since their return from Thyferra. He guessed she did as well, though neither spoke of it. He knew it would change between them once they left Coruscant. Things would change for everyone.

The day of departure was fast approaching. Many of the Jedi joining the war had been pouring onto Coruscant in the last few days. Jek had decided to have a few drinks with friends he hadn't seen in a long time. They all met at a club commonly frequented by Jedi. The club was full of those joining the Fleet. Any Jedi not approving of the move had elected to stay away for the night.

Jek could feel the excitement in the air when he walked in. It was difficult not to get caught up in it. He quickly found Tocchu and some other friends. Surprisingly, there was little talk of the war. Everyone seemed more interested in catching up and enjoying one last moment together.

He was surprised when Revan arrived. She hadn't taken much time away from the preparations. But he supposed it was a different kind of night. It was something they all needed. She found her seat next to Malak on the other side of the club. Dancers and patrons blocked his view of her.

Every once in a while, the crowd would clear out enough for them to exchange glances. Despite his reservations regarding her recent choices, he still would have preferred Malak to have stayed away for one more night. Jek had a feeling it would be the last night they could be who they really were. He didn't know what was in store for him and Revan once they left Coruscant. But he did know it wouldn't be the same.

As the night went on, their occasional glances turned into flirting. She wore a dark purple shirt that he'd always liked, and she knew it, too. He felt a tap on his senses and looked in her direction. She nodded her head towards the back stairway that led to the second level. He sent his agreement and excused himself from his companions.

He'd been dying to speak with her all night. Their week apart had felt much longer than any absence since they'd become lovers. Jek maneuvered through the many Jedi to find his way to the back, his anticipation growing as he drew closer.

The stairway itself was well lit. However, he found her in a small semi-darkened alcove off to the side of it. He slipped into the nook and stood facing her, his arms instantly sliding around her for a better fit in the tight space.

She had a mischievous grin on her face and said, "I just wanted to say, 'hi'."

That look had always meant good things for him. Jek brought his face closer to hers. In a low voice, he said, "Hi."

She pulled him even closer and kissed him earnestly. He certainly didn't object. He'd missed her and she tasted wonderful. He returned the kiss and leaned into her to press her against the wall.

Their embrace quickly intensified and Jek wondered just how private their little spot really was. His thoughts were interrupted when she started laughing and pulled away. "Slow down there, Jedi," she said as she put her hands on his chest. Then she nuzzled into his neck, kissed him lightly under his ear, and said, "But don't leave without me."

She ducked under his arms that held her and sauntered away, leaving Jek to consider her words. He quickly decided there was no way in the Nine Corellian Hells he was leaving without her.

An hour later, he signaled his departure through the Force. She met him outside and they spent the rest of the night in his quarters. He did his best to keep thoughts of the next day away. Instead, he enjoyed the moment and made love to her as if it was their last time.

* * *

Malak stood at the front of the large training room. The numerous seats were filled with various Jedi. A great deal of time and effort had gone into special assignments within the Fleet. There was still quite a bit of work to be done regarding Jedi placement. However, much of it would have to wait until the need was better determined. Most Jedi would go straight to the front for further instruction. Those Jedi had already received their assignments.

Many Jedi in the room were experienced Knights. There were a few Masters with their Padawans, but most Masters had steered clear of the deployment. Much of the placement decisions were made based on previous missions. Most every Guardian would be sent to the front. Some Jedi had been placed along the troop supply lines. Others were sent beyond the front to continue to acquire a full spectrum of the situation. Malak himself would move on to Field Operations with Revan.

The assignment distribution would not take long. Many Jedi still had affairs to wrap up and did not have much time to spare. Malak had completed his investigation on Manaan. Judge Duula had been happy for a resolution and considered himself indebted to Malak for identifying the assailant. Unfortunately, Malak didn't agree with the final outcome. He'd felt it was very possible that Mapa had been tricked by way of the Force into attempting to take Duula's life. But Revan was right – bringing the full details to light may have resulted in much broader consequences. Instead, they'd found an alternative that in turn benefited the Jedi that wanted to go to war. Of course, Senator Krishon announcing his support for the Jedi joining the war effort a week earlier had not made the Council pleased in the least. Fortunately, those preparing to leave were not deterred.

The Jedi in the room divided up into three sections to receive their assignments. Each datapad had the full details on which ship they would depart on and who they would report to upon arrival. The _Solen_ and the _Ravager_ would arrive in Coruscant space within the week to transport the Jedi to their respective staging areas.

Within the hour, most of the Jedi had filed through until there were only about fifteen left. Wodi walked through and handed out datapads. Malak had a general idea of where the remaining Jedi would be placed. However, what he didn't know was where Jek would be going. He'd managed to keep his opinions regarding the other man's usefulness to himself. In turn, he'd been kept out of any discussions regarding it.

Malak glanced over at Revan's bed partner. The datapad sat loosely in Jek's hands as he talked with Tocchu. Malak liked Tocchu. He was glad the other man had decided to join them. Tocchu and Jek said their goodbyes and Jek turned his attention to the instructions in his hand. Malak noticed Jek furrow his brow as he studied the contents. He quickly tapped through a few screens and then clenched his jaw. Malak was instantly assaulted with a wave of shock from the man. Jek's gaze slowly lifted from the pad and settled upon Revan. He was not pleased.

Normally Malak would have found pleasure in such a display. However, the feeling he had instead was actually rather odd. How many times had Revan done something that completely pissed him off? Nobody else in the Order could do it quite as well as she could. Malak knew that feeling well. And judging by Jek's reaction, she had done it to him too. Malak actually felt sympathy for the other man.

Jek's glare did not waver, but he erected effective shields around his rising ire. Malak looked over at Revan. She'd been speaking with one of the Masters before she looked at Jek. She did not smile and held her head up in defiance. Malak recognized that look. She'd expected Jek's response and was now steeling herself for the consequences.

Curiosity got the better of Malak and he quickly pulled up the master list of assignments. He called up Jek's name. When the orders came up, Malak couldn't believe it. Jek would serve as Senate Liaison to Jedi in the Fleet… on Coruscant. Malak shook his head. _Damn, Revan_.

He decided it would be best for him to leave before he got accused of that one. He gathered up his things and left. As he walked down the Grand Corridor, he wasn't sure whether to be proud of her for ridding herself of the Jek taint, or disappointed that she couldn't find a better way to do it. He let out a resigned sigh. _Some things never change._

* * *

When the discussion arose on who would represent them once they left Coruscant, it had been a difficult decision. Anyone already staying on Coruscant did not support joining the war. Therefore, how could they be trusted to properly convey the needs of those serving the Fleet?

Jek had spent the last few years serving the Senate. And he felt strongly about what the Jedi were doing. His support would be unwavering and Revan trusted him explicitly. In the back of her mind, she wondered if it would be overkill to leave someone as skilled as Jek fighting off Senators rather than Mandalorians. But if Jek could get over the contemptuousness he currently felt, he could be one of their greatest assets.

There were many good reasons to keep Jek on Coruscant. And the one reason she had for taking him with her was an even bigger reason for him to stay.

Revan had suddenly found her situation with Jek a bit more complicated. She wasn't a fool and she knew the last few times they'd been together had been about more than sex. She did not deny there was a deeper connection. As much as she had enjoyed her time with him, it was essential they move on.

The decision hadn't been that difficult. However, she knew the consequences would be. And judging by the tremble in his Force signature, she was about to find out just how much.

The last of the others gathered their things and filtered out the door. When it slid shut, Jek stood and went to one of the windows. He had his hands on his hips and kept his stance rigid. He glared out at the stretching cityscape. Revan had never seen him like that before. She was quickly awash with guilt when she detected his struggle to quiet his anger.

He finally asked in an even but dangerously low tone, "Why?"

She suddenly lost the ability to come up with a solid answer. It didn't matter. He shook his head as he figured it out for himself, and spun around to face her. "This is your solution? A little bit of feeling trickles in and you get me as far away from you as you possibly can?" He stared at her unbelievingly.

She withstood his gaze, but had no response. Somehow she wasn't quite trained for this – failed negotiations, hostile situations, wild beasts she could handle… but this...

He asked with unnerving calmness, "How could you do this? You know I had every intention of going. Now I'm supposed to stay on Coruscant and be your errand boy?"

Revan shook her head. "It's not like that."

Jek huffed indignantly. "How long have you known? Or was it your idea in the first place?"

When she didn't answer, he demanded, "Answer me, Revan!"

"With your experience, you were the best choice," she explained. It sounded weak even to her.

He ran his fingers through his hair and then dropped them to his sides. He smiled humorlessly. "And this has nothing to do with me and you?"

She didn't have to answer. Their gazes locked, both knew it had everything to do with the two of them.

He shook his head slowly and mused, "And yet, I'm the one left behind." He chuckled to himself and added, "It's all about you, isn't it Revan?" And as if he fully comprehended the truth in his words, he trailed off, "Always about you."

He remained frozen in thought only for a moment. Then without another word, he turned to leave. But before he reached the door he paused and turned to ask, "What was the other night?"

Another trickle of guilt slipped through, but she made sure to shield it from him. She said, "It was 'goodbye'. And I thought you knew that."

She instantly felt the pain her words caused him. However, something told her he'd known all along. Wishful thinking, perhaps. She watched as Jek slowly turned and left.

Revan sat down heavily in her seat. She'd given lots of thought to his potential reaction. However, she'd never anticipated what _she_ would feel like. A heaviness weighed on her chest and sadness washed over her. She would miss him.

* * *

The day of the Jedi departure quickly came. Jek had hoped Revan would stop by just to say… anything. But he knew she wouldn't. When the transports arrived, he went to the docks to observe the activity.

He stayed in the shadows, back against a wall, and watched. At first, there was nothing but chaos as several hundred Jedi started to show up. Revan was nowhere to be found. But it wasn't long before he felt her arrive. She had a Force signature that throbbed with life. It was something nobody could miss. He chuckled softly when he saw Malak point to his wrist chrono as she finally arrived. Jek thought Malak would have realized by now she'd never be on time. She worked on her own clock that nobody else understood.

Like any good Jedi, Revan stopped the chaos of the throngs of Jedi and turned it into harmony. Suddenly there was order and before long the first transport left for space dock. Even after all that they'd been through, Jek still smiled in admiration of her.

He watched her all the while she was there, never taking his awareness from her. Though when several of the Jedi in charge of the deployment stopped everything they were doing and looked towards the entrance to their landing bay, Jek followed their gaze. Thirty or so Masters walked through the door at that moment. Jek was just as curious as the rest. But without faltering in their steps, the Masters approached and stopped within two meters of Revan. Jek was amazed to see one of them was Master Sypian. She'd done it; she'd convinced Sypian. After a moment, she slowly bowed to the Masters. They, in return, bowed to her. Jek felt such tremendous pride in her at that very instant, though it was Malak that embraced her. It wasn't long before each Master was given their assignment and boarded the next transport.

Soon after, all of the containers were loaded onto the transports… and the docks were bare. It was time to go. She turned towards him for the first time since she'd arrived. Although he knew her reasons, he knew it was best for both of them as Jedi… the man in him wanted so much to embrace her and never let go.

They stared at each other for a long moment. It was time. One last bask in her presence. On the outside, he gave nothing away. On the inside, he was slowly crumbling. _Please don't go_, he silently pleaded. A part of him chastised himself for the selfishness of his thoughts. It was the part he chose to ignore. _She_ was leaving.

She bowed her farewell before she stepped onto the boarding ramp and disappeared into the transport. The repulsorlifts came online and the vessel slowly rose off of the ground and vanished in the Coruscant sky.

To be continued...

* * *

A/N: This fic now has cover art. Please see my profile for a link. Special thanks go to my awesome betas, Lossefalme and Alexandra3. 


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